Never or Forever
by animecrazychick
Summary: Kyo is very confused by the fact that Yuki is trying to make amends. When studying for Biology finals turns into a battle against what seems inevitable, will the boys overcome their feelings of hatred? Will they even both make it out alive? Oh, and this is YAOI, and it contains LEMONS! You've been warned, so read at your own risk.
1. Bedside Manner

Midterms were on Friday. It was Monday. I was in the middle of forcing myself to study, against my protesting head's wishes. I knew I'd be okay on the language test, and I was pretty good at math, although my trigonometry needed some work, but I couldn't seem to wrap my head around the Biology material. I absently nibbled on my Kasugai as I tapped my pencil on the desk with my other hand.

I looked over at the bowl full of the small colored candies that I'd brought in from the kitchen (if the rat caught me I'd be dead). I reached in and grabbed a yellow one, popping it into my mouth. I've always been really particular when it comes to colored candies. I have my own pattern of eating them. I reached blindly into the bowl, turning back to my notebook. I peered into my hand to see what colors I'd gotten. Red, yellow, orange. All warm colors. I shoved them into my mouth. I reached in again. Brown, blue, and orange. I frowned. I picked out the one brown one and ate it. Cool color. I then picked out the two orange ones and ate them together. Warm color. I placed the blue one back in the bowl.

So I went on like that. Only eating either all warm colors or cool colors at a time, placing the blue ones back in the bowl. One time Kagura asked me why I separate out the blue ones and not the orange ones. It was actually a hard question to answer. "I don't separate out the blue ones because they relate to me," I had told her, "I separate them out because I like them better. I know they all taste the same, but blue is just a better color. It's calm and intelligent. Besides, I don't even think orange is my color. It's my hair color, yeah, but, I don't think it's really me. Me is more like brown or red, I think."

She'd said that it was the longest she'd ever heard me talk about something. I turned my full attention back to my work, knowing that there was nothing left but blue in the bowl. I read over the requirements put in place to classify an organism as in the kingdom Animalia.

"Damn it, then what kind of tissue variations do sponges have?" I burst. I was not grasping what other students thought were easy concepts. What was the point of learning taxonomy anyway? Whoever the hell invented it (Linnaeus) obviously had it out for high school students. I let my head drop to the desk with a decisive 'thud'.

"Kyo-kun?" Tohru's voice rang through my door, not helping my headache at all, "Are you alright?"

"Yeah, don't worry about it," I told her, lifting my head off the desk.

"I made dinner, if you'd like some," she offered.

_Of course I'd like some, I've been at it for hours. I need a break._

"Yeah, be down in a second," I stated, stretching my spine over the back of my swivel chair. I picked a blue out of the bowl and popped it in my mouth, savoring the flavor more than I did with the other colors, knowing full well that it tasted exactly the same as the rest of them. Rubbing angrily at the pounding spot on my forehead, I made my way to my door, the way that it creaked increasing the pain in my temple, and went downstairs.

"I do not want to talk about this," Yuki's stern voice echoed up the staircase.

"I feel like we have to talk about this," that was Shigure.

"Talk about what?" I asked, entering the sitting room.

"Oh, Kyo-kun!" Tohru smiled at me as if she'd never seen my face outside my bedroom, "Shigure-san was just talking to Sohma-kun about New Years."

"Which is after midterms, am I right?" Yuki said pointedly, crossing his arms over his chest in defiance.

"Yes, but it's not something you should put off," Shigure argued.

"Damn, the last thing we need is something to distract us from studying," I pointed out.

"At least some of us are studying," Yuki muttered.

"I was just studying two seconds ago!"

"Funny how you don't seem to be improving."

"Damn it, I just -" I stopped. I wasn't about to admit I was having trouble understanding the material, least of all to him.

"You what?" he turned to me smirking like he actually gave a damn, "You don't get it?"

I fumed.

"Once a stupid cat, always a stupid cat, I suppose."

"Damn it!" I sure as hell was saying that a lot. I took a swing at his head, he dodged, and he landed a firm kick to my stomach, sending me flying into the counter in the kitchen.

"Don't break my house!" Shigure wailed. I rubbed the back of my head, cursing my headache that was causing my vision to go spotty. It wasn't hurting in just one place anymore. Or two places. More like fifty. A wave of nausea hit me ten ton truck.

"Kyo-kun! Are you okay?"

God, her voice was so loud. I blindly clutched at my head, trying to block out the noise, the bright florescent lights above me. I felt like my head was trying to explode.

"Shut up, shut up!"

"Don't talk to Honda-san that way!"

"Be quiet!"

"I do believe our dear little Kyo-kun has a migraine."

"A migraine?" Tohru asked.

"An extremely bad headache," Yuki offered.

"Be quiet…" I all but whimpered.

"Oh, and, if you're going to throw up, to it in the bathroom," Shigure told me.

"I…!" I didn't finish my thought, burying my face in my knees. The lights were so bright, I couldn't stand it.

"K- Kyo-kun…"

"Shhh…"

_Was that Shigure?_

"Shigure, would you get him upstairs?" Yuki asked casually. Like he was talking about the goddamn weather.

"I can…" I tried to stand on my feet, promptly clapping my hand over my mouth and falling down again. I couldn't see what I was doing anyway. Neon light's were flashing in front of my face.

"And here I thought cats were supposed to be graceful."

"Damn rat!"

"Stupid cat."

"I don't want him to throw up on me!" Shigure whined.

"I'm not going to…"

"But what if you did?"

Why did he have to sing-song everything?

"Shh!"

_Yuki is the one telling them to be quiet?_

"Here," Yuki said quietly.

_'Here' what? I can't see!_

I felt a soft hand with slender fingers grip my wrist and pull me onto my feet. I involuntarily leaned against his side to keep myself from falling over. He supported my weight with a hand on my side, necessary due to the good three inches I had on him.

"Damn rat."

"Stupid cat."

"Will he be alright?" Tohru asked.

"He'll be fine, Honda-san. Don't worry yourself," Yuki said, just loud enough for her to hear him. With that, he led me out of the kitchen. I lifted my feet higher off the ground than I normally would have, due to my blindness.

"Can you not see?" he asked me.

"Not really," I admitted, trying to hide how weird I found it to simply talk with him. He stopped.

"We're at the stairs," he informed me. I extended my foot, searching blindly until I felt the unpolished wood of the first stair under my bare toes. Yuki lifted me onto the step and I balanced myself lightly on the pads of my feet. He paused a moment to let me get my bearings, to the extent that I could. I nodded blankly, and he helped me onto the next step. We did that all the way up the stairs, remaining silent, preventing my ego from undergoing any further beating. He led me along the hallway, and then stopped again. I heard the familiar noise of wood against wood as he opened the shoji to my room. He led me in and turned me around so I was facing him and sat me down on what I could only assume was my bed.

"Stay there."

I heard his footsteps lightly padding out of the room. I assumed that he wasn't coming back, so I felt around until I located my pillow and lay my head on it. I allowed my eyelids to fall shut, marveling at the vibrant colors that still flashed in front of me, even with my eyed closed. Needless to say, I practically jumped out of my skin when I felt a cold washcloth being placed on my forehead.

"It's just me, stupid cat," Yuki's voice penetrated into my mind, "Although it looks like you really were studying."

"Don't look at my desk," I said half-heartedly.

"These are all just the kingdoms," he observed, "The test is on Friday."

"I know," I spat at him, noticing the spots in my vision clearing up.

"I was just refreshing my memory," I lied.

"I see," he didn't sound convinced.

"Go tell Tohru I'm okay," I instructed him. He sighed, and I heard the legs of my desk chair scraping against the floor as he stood up. I didn't hear his footsteps leave the room.

"Why only blues?" he asked.

_He's looking at the Kasugai._

"I like the color blue," I said shortly, "I save them for last."

"Hm."

With that, he left the room.

_Well… that was weird._

* * *

**Author's Note: Well, I said I wouldn't do this story until after I'd finished my LxLight ones... But I guess I lied. This was just burning at the inside of my skull, pleading to be put on the internet, so now it is. Please review, as it makes me happy. I'll probably be posting the next chapter today as well, so be on the lookout for that. Oh, and for those of you who are reading Aftermath, I'm still working on it, no worries. I just broke my laptop... because I'm a total clumsy ass... But I'm still writing, see? WORDS!**


	2. Study Habits

I stayed home the next day, enjoying the quiet that settled over the house as my head slowly ceased throbbing along with the help of pain medication. Once I felt completely better, I crawled out of bed and went right back to studying.

_I still don't get it! Goddamn it!_

I heard the distant opening and closing of the front door, along with the voices of Tohru and Yuki as they were greeted by Shigure. I'd almost forgotten that he was home, he'd been being so quiet. I should have thanked him, but I didn't.

I heard two pairs for feet pad up the stairs and slide into their respective rooms. I had a fleeting thought of asking Tohru for help, until I recalled her grades. She was probably struggling more than I was. And then I had the strange thought of the century.

_Just ask Yuki for help._

I shook it out of my head. But, then again, why not? He was smart, so he could probably teach it to me. Besides, he'd helped me the day before, hadn't he? So, he must not be opposed to helping me all the time, right? I grabbed my notes off my desk, not allowing myself to think twice. My grade was at stake. I couldn't let personal vendettas get in the way. Anything less than a B and I'd have a C in the class.

I knocked on his door, trying my utmost hardest to be polite.

"Who is it?" his voice sounded on the other side of the door.

"It's me," I stated.

"Uh, come in," he said hesitantly. I slid open the shoji and closed it quietly behind me.

"What is it?"

"Well, I, uh…" I stuttered, "I was wondering if you could…"

"What?"

"If you could help me with Biology," I murmured, staring embarrassedly at the floor.

"Hm," I could hear the smirk in the noise, "Turns out you're not as stupid as I thought."

"Why, you -"

"Do you want my help or not?" he asked, quirking an eyebrow. I grumbled something in a language I like to call gibberish under my breath, and went to his desk.

"Why don't we work in the living room?" he suggested. I nodded. He reached into his bag, grabbed a binder, and stood up, smoothing out his pants.

I followed him hesitantly down the stairs, still unsure if I'd made the right choice in studying with him. He sat down under the kotatsu and opened his binder to a space that he had loudly labeled 'First Semester'.

"So what are you having trouble with?"

"Well, I don't really get anything once I get to Kingdom Animalia."

_Well, that was embarrassing._

"Okay, how about we start with what classifies an organism as in that Kingdom?"

_What, no smart remark about my intelligence?_

"Um, okay," I said, sitting down. And we studied. He didn't call me stupid, and didn't call him girly. We just worked. He would explain something, I would ask questions, and he would answer them. It was simple, easy. And for a moment, it almost felt like we were getting along.

"Sohma-kun! Kyo-kun!"

"In here, Honda-san!" Yuki shouted back, but somehow managed to keep his voice calm while doing it.

"Oh!" Tohru stood, looking at us with an utterly exaggerated expression of awe on her face.

"I was just showing Kyo my notes for Biology, Honda-san," Yuki explained coolly, "What did you want to talk to us about?"

"Uh, well, see I was wondering what you two would like for dinner," she told us, smiling so brightly it almost blinded me.

"Udon?" Yuki suggested. Tohru turned to me.

"Yeah, that's fine," I shrugged.

"Okay!" she said, dashing into the kitchen.

"Why don't we go help her?" Yuki asked, turning to me. I eyed him incredulously.

"I'll set the table," he explained. I nodded my head in understanding, and stood up, closing my binder, and heading into the kitchen.

"Kyo-kun, did you want to help?"

"Yeah, do you want me to stir that?" I asked.

"Oh, I don't want to be any trouble…"

"Don't worry about it. I offered, didn't I?"

"Oh! Um, yes!"

Yuki looked over at me and rolled his eyes. I glared at him. The scary thing was, I knew exactly what he was trying to say. 'What are you going to do? She's just not all that bright.' It was something along those lines. I knew he didn't mean it in an offensive way, he was just making a joke about her little idiosyncrasies. And the part that scared me even more was the fact that I agreed with him. While I was sure we'd had the same thoughts about something before, we'd never actually acknowledged that we were thinking the same thing. That's why I glared at him. Just because he gave me homework help didn't mean we could get along. We were born to hate each other after all.

I turned the burner off and stirred the udon once more to make sure the spices were evenly distributed throughout the broth.

"How the hell does Yuki manage to burn this?" I asked myself. I almost jumped out of my skin when he answered me.

"Years of practice."

I chuckled lightly, "Hand me a bowl would you?"

He did. No smart remark, no clever comeback.

"We're not friends," I stated.

"I know," he said, handing me another bowl when I finished filling the previous one.

"Then why are you acting like we are?" I asked him, "We hate each other. We're the cat and the rat. We were born hating each other."

"I suppose you're right," Yuki shrugged.

"But…" I had almost forgotten Tohru was there.

"Yes, Honda-san?" Yuki asked, turning to her.

"Who… who do you think decided it had to be that way?"

Yuki and I both gaped at her.

_But, then again, who was it? What person has the right to say who I like and hate? Who taught Yuki and I that we hate each other? Was it Akito? Why do I care what he thinks? Why do Yuki and I hate each other? What's the reason?_

"I guess it's just always been like that," Yuki said slowly, hesitantly. I could hear the same doubts I was having in his voice.

"But, you were just studying together a moment ago," Tohru pleaded with us.

* * *

_"Shishou, wait! My hat just flew -"_

_He had picked it up. Yuki had picked up my hat._

_"…Oh. Um, here."_

_He held it out to me. _

_I walked away._

* * *

_"Um…"_

_"You. You're the rat, huh?"_

_"Oh. Um, yes."_

_He had smiled at me._

_"I'll never forgive you. Do you hear me? I'll never forgive you! It's all your fault, rat! Everything's your fault! It's all because you exist! Someone as rotten as you oughta do us all a favor and just disappear!"_

_He looked like he was about to cry. I walked away._

* * *

_"You want him to be like that, don't you? If you didn't have someone to hate you wouldn't know what to do with yourself, would you?"_

_Kyoko Honda. I had trusted her, but why had she said that?_

_"Wha…? You're taking his side too? Are you blaming me?!"_

_"That's not it. Taking a side, or being considered 'good' or 'bad'… it's all so stupid. If you live your life and only focus on those things, you'll be wasting what you do have. I mean, look at you. You're such a kind and wonderful little boy."_

_"Th- that doesn't make any sense! You traitor! Who cares about you?! Who cares about any of you anymore?!"_

_I had cared. I had promised to protect her daughter, and I had meant it._

_"Hey, kiddo. About your promise! I'll put it on your tab!"_

_She had smiled, waving the baseball cap that had once been mine. Until Yuki took it. No, he didn't take it. I let him have it. And he had given it to Tohru. And Tohru had given it to her mother._

_I walked away for her. I never said goodbye to her. I had watched her in her last moments of life, but I never said goodbye. I just walked away._

* * *

I always walked away.

"You…"

"Kyo-kun?" Tohru and Yuki both turned to me.

"When we were little… you tried to be friends with me, didn't you?"

"I did a lot of crazy things when I was little," he replied.

"You're trying again right now, aren't you?"

"It would make me so happy if you two just tried to get along…"

"No…! Like hell I'm being friends with that damn rat!"

I ran out of the house. I ran for a long time. I came to a sparkling blue lake, the light of the setting sun reflecting beautifully off the water. I sat down on a rock jutting out of the soft beach sand, tracing patterns on my pants as I stared over the water. The clouds were turning bright pinks and purples and oranges, and they were reflected off the water onto to sand, giving the place a magical feeling.

"Kyo?"

"What do you want?"

"You missed dinner."

He walked up beside me and offered me a plate of onigiri.

"The udon would've gotten cold, so…"

"Yeah, whatever," I said, grabbing the plate from his pale hands. I watched him sit down on the sand next to me out of the corner of my eye.

"It's pretty here," he said after a while.

"I guess," I said, refusing to openly agree with him.

"Why do you think our getting along is such a bad thing?" he asked.

"I have to beat you someday."

"Why?"

"I just do!"

"That's not a reason."

"Like you give a crap!"

"Tell me!"

"Because it's my ticket out of the -"

I stopped and looked at my hands, turning white in their grip on the plate.

"The what?"

"The…"

My eyes stung. I couldn't be friends with him. If we didn't still fight, I wouldn't even have a chance at freedom. A tear slid down my face.

"Ah…! Hey, look, I didn't mean to… I… I mean… look, I- I'm sorry…"

"Stupid…"

"What?"

"It's all just so stupid to have to hate you because of a bet."

"A… bet?"

"With Akito," I explained, "I have a bet with Akito."

"About… beating me?"

"Yeah, that's right," I smirked resentfully, wiping my eyes, "And I can't loose."

"Why not?" Yuki asked me, "What does Akito get if you loose?"

"Me," I responded.

"What?"

"If I can't beat you before graduation, he gets to lock me up."

"Shishou…"

"Yes, just like his grandfather."

"My God."

"So, I can't be friends with you, see?"

"I don't see why not," Yuki said, causing my eyes to widen.

"What the hell are you thinking?"

He stood up and held his hand out for me to take it, "We just still have to fight. That doesn't mean we can't get along, right?"

I smirked, and kicked out at his stomach, and he just barely managed to jump out of the way. I began to swing madly at him with my fists.

"Is that-" he dodged, "A yes?"

"As long as someday I get to knock you on your ass!"

"That's not -" dodge, "- looking likely."

"Then why has the fight lasted so long? You're loosing your touch!"

"No, I can just tell you need the practice!"

He landed a square kick and I flew backward. I rubbed the back of my head, sitting up.

"Damn…" I opened my eyes to see Yuki's hand outstretched to help me up.

"We should go back," he said, "It's getting dark."

I smirked and took his hand.

* * *

**Author's Note: Well that was fun. But - oh, dear, what on Earth is going to happen next? Who knows what evil lurks in the hearts of authors... So, the plot is beginning to develope, and believe me when I say it won't be lighthearted forever. Just for the next few chapters full of fluff, angry single men, and test scores!**


	3. Test Scores

The next three days went by pretty uneventfully. I continued my lessons with Yuki, who eventually answered all my questions with one simple sentence - "You have to realize that there are always exceptions to the rules." That explained sponges to me. No symmetry, no tissue variation, and they were pretty much sessile. They made no sense to me, until Yuki said that. After that, there were just a few things I needed touching up on, and I was good. I figured I would ace the test no problem. That is, I felt that way until Friday morning rolled around.

_What if I forget everything? What if she asks us something that was on the videos we watched? I didn't memorize those! Oh, I'm going to fail!_

I stumbled down the stairs and mumbled what I thought was a greeting to Tohru as I passed into the kitchen.

"Morning," I told Shigure.

"And what a lovely morning it is. But, why do you look so down, Kyo-kun? Aren't you excited for finals?"

I groaned and sat down at the table, letting my forehead connect squarely with the wood.

"Uh… Oh!" Tohru burst, "Good morning, Sohma-kun!"

"Meh."

I couldn't help but smirk. He would never address her like that if he was even halfway awake.

"Want me to quiz you for the Bio final?" I asked him, smirking.

"The… what?"

"The huge test we've been studying for every second of the past three days?" I offered.

"Oh."

"So tell me about Kingdom Animalia," I smirked.

"Wha's that?"

I laughed through my teeth.

"I… what?"

"You are so stupid in the morning," I told him.

"Sohma-kun just isn't a morning person is all," Tohru said, smiling brightly.

"Okay," he said absently, plopping down next to me at the table and dropping his head on my shoulder. I busied myself imagining Zs floating over his head as Tohru put food in front of us. I looked down at the overly large and healthy breakfast, and I felt a sudden onslaught of nerves in my gut.

"I'm not really that hungry…" I said.

"Eat food, stupid face," Yuki mumbled into my shoulder.

I stared blankly at the wall.

"My face is not stupid," I muttered, starting to pick absently at my food. Tohru smiled at us and sat down to eat her own breakfast. I watched as Yuki continued to fall asleep on my shoulder until I got frustrated. I shrugged him off me.

"Eat your damn food before it gets cold," I told him.

"Uh…" I could almost see the gears coming to life as his eyes became slightly more focused and landed on his food. He picked up his chopsticks and slowly ate away at his food. I spared a final glance at him before I redirected my attention to my own breakfast.

"So do you think you're going to do okay on the test, Tohru-kun?" I asked, trying to make conversation.

"Heh, heh…" she smiled nervously, "I'll try my best!"

"Yeah…"

"So how do you think you'll do?" she asked me.

"Heh, heh…"

"Are you worried?" Yuki asked me, not looking up from his food. He was probably still tired.

"A little," I admitted.

"I'm sure you'll do great!" Tohru told me.

"Don't be nervous. You've been studying all week, haven't you?" Shigure asked.

"Yeah, I guess," I sighed. I cleared my plate and Tohru took the dishes into the kitchen.

"You guys ought to wear your heavy jackets," Shigure said, "I think it snowed last night."

"Really?" Tohru asked excitedly. She raced to the front of the house and pushed the shoji open, revealing a beautiful white landscape. Yuki groaned and looked over at the door.

"You'll get a cold if you just stand there like that," I told her.

"Hmm," she nodded, closing the door. She rushed back upstairs, and I followed behind her slowly, glancing back at Yuki who was still sitting at the table, lazily drawing circles on the wood.

"Get moving or you'll be late," I grumbled at him, turning and heading upstairs. By the time I had my uniform on and everything, it was time to leave. I met Tohru and Yuki back downstairs, and we grabbed our heavy coats and went outside.

I stopped, as did the others, to take in the white landscape. I really was beautiful. That is, until I got hit in the face with it.

"What the hell?!"

"I've never had a snowball fight before," Yuki shrugged, "I thought it might be fun."

"I'll give you fun, you asshole!"

I chased him up the path a ways, trying to pick up snow as I went. Once I had a decent snowball, I hurled it at the back of his head. It hit him in the back, but I convinced myself that I had been aiming there the whole time. Yuki turned, grabbing a handful of snow and hurling it at me, causing it to come down on me like falling snow fresh from the sky. A snowball hit me in the arm lightly. Yuki and I turned to see Tohru standing timidly, holding another snowball in her hand already.

At first, I was just chuckling through my teeth, but soon I had landed in the snow, laughing my heart out.

"You… you look so stupid…!" I burst.

"Look who's talking," Yuki commented. I sat up on my elbows, raising an eyebrow at him. His slightly pouted lips and cheeks flushed from the cold were just too feminine looking. That combined with the awkward way he was trying to hide how amusing he found it was just too much, and I was sent into another fit of laughter. That's when I heard it. Yuki laughed. Not a hysterical mirror of my own, but rather a gentle, tinkling laugh, that really did remind me of bells. It was the first time I'd ever heard him laugh.

"Get up, idiot," he chuckled, holding his hand out to me. I grabbed it, locking my thumb with his. He lifted me out of the snow. Tohru stared at us for a moment, but them she smiled and walked ahead. I looked at Yuki skeptically. He seemed to think she wouldn't make anything out of it, but I had my doubts. But then again, why should I care? It wasn't like we were doing anything wrong. We got along, and that was it. Right? I shouldn't have anything to hide from Tohru. Then again, it was Yuki who had tried to hide it in the first place. Did he think it was bad for Tohru to know we were getting along? It wasn't like we were doing anything that she wouldn't like, right? She always did want us to get along better, so why the hell did I feel like we had some dark secret?

We reached the school five minutes early. This one kid kept looking over at me once we got to class. He was starting to piss me off. I was pulled out of my plan to yell at him when our teacher walked in.

"Okay, so as you all know, today you will be taking you Biology midterm. If your pencil is broken, sharpen it now, because you are not allowed to leave your seat once the test has been handed out."

We waited for a few students to do just that, and then the tests were handed out.

_Come on, Kyo. Focus. You've got this._

I made sure to mark each bubble on the answer sheet perfectly, making sure the teacher wouldn't be able to misread anything. I reread all the questions before actually choosing my answer. The thing that surprised me was that I actually knew most of the answers. The questions were all things I'd studied for, and I recognized tricks when I came across them. There were a few ones I didn't know, that I would narrow down to my best guess, but overall, I felt pretty good about it. When I finished, I turned my paper over. The teacher came by to pick them up when she saw that we'd all completed our work. She even gave us permission to talk, but no one did. We all remained silent as we watched her turned though our tests, uncapping her red pen on occasion to mark an answer wrong. At one point, she came across a test that required her to leave her red pen uncapped, given that she appeared to be marking every answer wrong. Everyone in the room held their breath, all dreading that the obviously failing test was their own, myself included. After what seemed like an eternity, she was finished grading them. She handed them back, giving the tests to the first person in the row of the respective student to whom the test belonged so that they could pass them back down the row. My test was handed back to me sometime in the middle of the passing-out process. A large 'A-' was scrolled on the top of the page in the sloppy handwriting that all teachers seemed to have. I smiled. I'd brought my grade up! I looked over at Yuki and Tohru across the room, smiling victoriously.

"What'd you get?" Yuki mouthed.

I held my fingers in an upside-down 'V', and then held my index finger parallel to the ground. Yuki smiled and gave my a thumbs up. I didn't bother asking what they got. Yuki undoubtedly had an A+, and Tohru probably had either a B or a C.

The bell rang for lunch, and we all stood and exited into the hallway. Tohru pulled us over to stand by the lockers while everyone else walked by.

"I'm so glad you did so well on your test, Kyo-kun!" she squealed happily.

"Hey, it's all his fault," I said, pointing my thumb at Yuki, "Damn, now I owe you, huh?"

"No," Yuki told me, "My reward was your grade. We're even. Now, if you'd gotten an F, then I'd have to kick you."

"Hey!"

We all turned to see that one guy from earlier, clenching a rumpled test in his hand that still loudly declared 'D-'. I was instantly angry.

"Why the hell were you staring at me earlier?" I yelled at him.

"Don't act like you don't know, bastard," he snapped, "I'm going to kick your fucking ass."

* * *

**Author's Note: The word of the day is 'thumb'. I apologize if there were any errors I missed. I don't have a beta, so the mistakes are all my fault. I'm sorry. I apologize to the whole world. So anyway, cliffhanger! Who's the asshole who wants to beat Kyo up for no apparent reason? Well, I can't tell you that, it would ruin the whole thing. And why on earth does Kyo feel like his and Yuki being friends is some dark secret? I bet all of you have figured that out already. Kyo's just a slow person. Give him time, he'll figure it out. As for Yuki, the next chapter might just have to be from his point of view. After all, our little rat needs attention too, not that he's not getting plenty of it from Kyo's point of view. I wonder why that could be...? Well, review!**


	4. Unidentified Competition

**Yuki's POV:**

* * *

I didn't remember his name. I'd worked with him on the previous cultural festival, but knew next to nothing about him. I'd never really gotten to know him, so watching him yelling at Kyo-kun was my first impression of him. I didn't like him.

"You know Tsubaki Touta?"

"I don't even know you!"

_If this keeps up, they'll both get expelled._

"Ah, Kyo, maybe we should leave…"

"You act like you can just walk away from stuff like this!" he turned on me, "Just because you've got a pretty face doesn't make you better than the rest of us!"

"He's better than you at least!" Kyo snapped, "At least he's not threatening people for no damn reason!"

"No reason?! You stole my girlfriend, you bastard!"

"I what?!"

"Tsubaki! She dumped me for you!"

"A smart move on her part, it would appear," I commented.

"You stay out of this, Prince Girly!"

"Hey!" Kyo snapped.

"Defending your girlfriend?"

"You are so not worth my damn time," Kyo growled, turning away. I watched as Kyo turned away, and the newcomer kicked him in the back. Kyo stumbled and fell forward. I rushed over, giving him a hand up.

"You asshole!" Kyo shouted, turning on him.

"Don't," I said quietly.

"Komuro!" Sensei walked up, "Did you just kick him?"

"No."

"Damn liar!"

"Yes, he did," I amended, "Honda-san and myself are witnesses."

"Is that true, Tohru?"

"Uh, um…"

"There's nothing wrong with being honest," Sensei prompted.

"Y- yes, he did."

"Komuro, come with me."

Sensei walked off with him in a gloomy tow.

"Are you okay?" I asked, turning to Kyo-kun.

"Yeah," he muttered, massaging his back.

"I, uh… I could walk you to the nurse, if you need ice…"

"Aw…!"

I looked up to see a group of girls, seemingly split down the middle, one side containing girls I knew, the other full of girls I knew next to nothing about. The half I knew consisted of my fan club. Then, the other half must've been…

"You never told me you had a fan club," I muttered to Kyo-kun.

"I didn't know I did," he responded.

"Sohma-kun, it was so nice of you to offer to help Kyo-kun…"

"I'd rather help him myself."

"It's not like Kyo-kun is yours to help."

"He's not Sohma-kun's to help either…"

"We're leaving," I announced, grabbing Kyo-kun's hand and dragging him away from the girls. Honda-san followed us timidly, watching as Uotani-san glared at the fangirls, daring them to come after us.

"Are you sure you're okay, Kyo-kun?" she asked, once we were safely out of earshot.

"Yeah, he's not that strong," he stated, "I'm just sore I didn't get to kick his ass."

"Like you said, he wasn't worth it," I told him.

"Yeah, whatever."

We arrived at the nurse's office, and Kyo-kun looked less than intent on going in.

"What's wrong, Kyo-kun?" Honda-san asked, "Are you afraid you'll get in trouble for fighting in school?"

"No, I just hate doctors," he shrugged, pushing the door open, as if you say 'I'm not afraid'. Once he was successfully instructed to hold the ice on until it didn't bother him anymore, we headed off to catch the second half of lunch.

We were headed over to sit with Uotani-san, Hanajima-san, Hatsaharu, and Momiji when we were stopped by a short girl with light brown hair.

"Kyo-kun…?" she said timidly.

"What?" he asked, obviously just as unaware of her identity as I was.

"I'm Tsubaki. I'm so sorry about Komuro. I know he thinks that our breakup was your fault… but I really didn't mean for it to be like that. I dumped him because he was a jerk. I really didn't mean for you to get hurt."

"Uh, I'm fine, so…"

"I'm so glad," she sighed, "And, for the record, I'm not one of your fangirls."

"To be honest, I didn't know I had any until today," he said.

"Do whatever you want with your romantic life," she shrugged, "As long as you don't end up with one of those fangirls, we're good."

"I kind of… actually already have someone I like," he told her.

_You do?_

She shrugged and walked away, back to her respective table.

_Who does he like? It could be Honda-san, I guess, or maybe it's just some girl. I might not even know her. But, I know him well enough to figure out who he likes, don't I? Why didn't he tell me he liked someone?_

We sat down at our table. Honda-san started up a conversation with Uotani-san, and I began eating absently at my lunch.

_Why does he have to like someone? It's all wrong. I suppose it has to be Honda-san, but he wouldn't ever try to get with her, would he? So, I still could…_

"Ah, Sohma-kun?"

"Uh- what?"

"You didn't answer my question," Uotani-san stated.

"I'm sorry, but could you repeat it?" I asked, hiding my embarrassment.

"I asked how you were feeling about the endurance run. You had that attack last year, right?"

"I hadn't really thought about it."

She shrugged, moving onto the next subject. She came full circle, talking to everyone, being the only force keeping the conversation going, until she came back to me.

"So have you made any plans for the end of the year dance?" she asked me.

"Only on the decorations," I said, smiling minutely, "Although Manabe's been driving me insane trying to convince me to ask someone."

"I hate to break it to you, but whoever you pick will be on the 'to kill' list of this school."

"I know…" I groaned, looking down at my plate, "I'll probably just go alone."

"What about you, Kyo-kun?" Honda-san asked, "Why don't you ask that person you said you liked?"

"Can't," he shrugged, "I don't think they like me back. They'd probably run away screaming if I did ask them."

"'Them' huh?" Uotani-san asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Hey, Yankee, who I like is my business," Kyo-kun snapped.

"Oh really…?" Hanajima-san asked. I eyed them both. What were they getting at?

"If he doesn't want to tell us, them we shouldn't pressure him, right?" Honda-san asked.

"I guess. What about you, Momiji? Who were you going to ask?" Uotani-san asked him. He looked up from his book and excitedly replied.

"I was going to ask Tohru-chan!"

After the chaos that ensued, that I have personally decided not to describe, Honda-san agreed to go with Momiji to the dance. Uotani-san then turned to Haru.

"You coming to the dance?"

"No, I'll be sulking at home," he grumbled.

"Why?" I asked.

"Because I'm angry and jealous of stupid people," he spat.

"Why?" I glared at him, "Don't you already like someone?"

Isuzu came to mind.

"Yeah, idiots just bother me, especially if they're idiots I care about."

I honestly had no idea what he was talking about. I really was an idiot.

* * *

**Author's Note: There are certain events in this story that happened in the manga and anime, but I took the liberty of changing the order in which they happen. I am fully aware of this, and I apologize deeply in case it bothers anybody. Anyway, this was my first chapter told from Yuki's point of view, but it certainly won't be the last. So anyway, I told you there'd be angry single men. Anybody catch the foreshadowing? It's minor, but it's in there.**

**Now, I have a question for anyone who reads this. You don't have to respond if you're not interested, I just need advice, and I figured if you've read this far in my story, then you're not homophobic.**

**I have a girlfriend, and I think I'm in love with her. Thing is, her parents are homophobic, even though she's a lesbian. They won't let me get anywhere near her. I miss her a whole lot, so if any of you have suggestions as to how I could see her, or if you have ideas for how to cope with missing her, I'd love to hear them.**


	5. Unexpected Admittance

**Kyo's POV:**

* * *

"Hey, orange top?"

"Yeah?" I asked, turning to Uo.

"You were acting kind of guarded at lunch, today," she told me.

"Not really," I shrugged. She'd pulled me over on our way to class. I was sure we'd be late.

"You wouldn't let on at all as to who this mystery crush is," she smirked, "You wouldn't even use gender specific words. You made an effort not to, actually."

_Damn it. Of all people._

"So, what's your point?" I asked.

"Is your crush a boy?"

_Wonderful. Well, at least there's someone out there who's not a total idiot._

"What's the difference?" I asked, "Not like it matters who it is."

"Yeah it does," she frowned, "If you have a crush on a guy, it means you're hiding something big."

"Not really."

"So are you gay? Bi?"

"Uh…"

"Do you not know?" she asked.

"No, I- I know, I just…"

"So you're gay?"

"Gah!"

"Which translates to 'yes', am I right?"

"Fine!"

"Good, now you need to tell the others."

"Hell no," I spat.

"Why not?" she asked, tilting her head to the side.

"I…"

"Well?"

"What if… what if they don't accept it?"

"Then they were never your friends in the first place. I don't really give a damn what your sexuality is. You're annoying and loud either way."

"Hey -"

"Not to mention, I think Tohru would want to know."

"How do you know she'd be okay with it?"

"Why wouldn't she be?" she shrugged, "I mean, Haru's clearly got a thing for the prince, and the prince himself doesn't seem to have any interest in girls, so why wouldn't she be okay with it? It seems like she'd be used to it by now."

"What?"

"I said she'd be used to it by now."

"No, before that."

"Um, Haru has a crush on Yuki?"

"No, after that?"

"Uh… the prince doesn't seem all that interested in girls?"

"He doesn't?" I blurt.

"He's got loads of pretty girls lining up to date him, but he never really looks twice at them, so… yeah."

"You think?"

"No, I… wait."

A look of realization fixed itself on her face.

"So why are you so interested in the prince's personal life all of a sudden?"

"I'm not!" I yelled.

"Funny," she smirked, "If I didn't know better, I'd say he was your little secret crush. Oh, wait - I don't know better."

I grabbed her shirt collar and eyed her threateningly.

"If you breath a word of this to anyone…"

"I won't," she shrugged. It pissed me off that she didn't seem intimidated. I dropped her collar and followed her begrudgingly to class.

_Yeah, so I've got a crush on Yuki. Add me to the list. It's not like it means he'll look twice at me. His fan club proves that._  
_I walked in the door as the bell rang._

"Go get a late pass," my teacher said.

"W- why?!"

"I told you all at the beginning of school to be in your seat when the bell rings."

"I wasn't here at the beginning of school!" I spat.

"I said it at the beginning of this year as well," she said.

"No you didn't!"

"Yes I did," she said, eyeing me.

"Uh, Sensei?"

I turned - along with everyone else in the room - to see Yuki timidly raising his hand.

"Sohma?"

"I don't think you did remind us again at the beginning of the new school year about that," he said.

"I didn't?" she asked. All the other students looked at Yuki a little longer before shaking their heads. I watched in amazement. He'd seriously just used his popularity to get me out of trouble.

"Oh, well," she shrugged, turning to me, "Now you do know. Don't let it happen again. Take a seat."

I nodded and took my seat. A saw Yuki drop his head into his hands in my peripheral vision. I turned to him.

'What?' I mouthed.

He looked at me a moment before shaking his head. I eyed him questioningly, but turned back to my notebook when the teacher started the lesson.  
The lesson was just as boring as it usually was. We took more notes than we could possibly be tested on, and the teacher answered our stupid questions that we didn't really need to know the answers to. Near the end of the lesson, she called up Yuki to make any new student counsel announcements. That happened at the end of almost every class - nothing to make a fuss over. Even so, the class seemed to be paying more attention.

"First of all, I'd like to thank Satomi-san for suggesting the change in the lunch menus," he started.

A round-faced girl sitting across the room blushed furiously.

"And today I'd like to announce a school event," he stated. That got my attention. I mean, I was already looking at him, but I wasn't really paying attention to what he was saying. My mind had kind of taken it's own course along the lines of 'eyes-purple-big-pretty'.

"While researching for my English project I came across an American tradition that I thought might be interesting to try here."

I noted how he'd phrased it to avoid admitting he'd been sitting in front of a computer for any reason other than being perfect.

"I ran it by the student counsel, and they are currently making arrangements for an end of the year dance."

"Bet Manabe jumped all over that one," someone muttered behind me.

_Right. I'd almost forgotten he hadn't announced it. We've all known about it so long, it feels like common knowledge._

"It's formal, so be sure to be dressed appropriately. Couples pictures will be taken at the entrance. Anyone who would like to help with the decorations or provide refreshments can just stop by the student counsel room."

"Where's that?" a tiny girl at the front of the room asked.

"There's a big sign over it that says 'school defense force' over it. It's hard to miss," he muttered. I had to try pretty hard not to laugh. With that he moved from the front of class and went back to his seat.

"School defense force?" I whispered, smirking at him.

"It was Manabe's idea," he said defensively.

"I figured."

"Sakuragi-kun is trying to get him to take it down."

"Who?"

"First year," he shrugged. I eyed him, but he seemed pretty passive about the topic, so I let it slide. I couldn't get Uo's words out of my head. If what she'd said was true, my competition was on the opposite side of the gender spectrum as I'd thought it was. I ran through all the guys he could like in my brain. Haru didn't seem to interest him, but I supposed that could change. Aside from that, there was just the student counsel, so no big deal, right? Manabe suddenly popped into my head. He was probably bad news - but he was an idiot, so I could probably beat him to it if I had to.

The bell rang. Yuki, Tohru, and I all stood and left the room together.

"I'm so glad that you finally announced the dance!" Tohru burst happily once were safely away from the classroom.

"Yeah, so how's Manabe doing for the preparations?" I asked, trying to sound nonchalant.

"Uh… pretty good. He's even got his girlfriend working on it," Yuki said, eyeing me suspiciously.

"Oh thank God."

"Huh?"

"Nothing - I, uh… nothing."

* * *

**Author's Note: So, Kyo's got a crush! Aw... Well, I'm sort of looking forward to my next review. I've got two now. This is not great progress. Doesn't anyone still have love to go around for Fruits Basket? Is the pairing just worn out? Should I just focus on my other fanfics? Please tell me!**


	6. Mysterious Visitor

**Yuki's POV:**

* * *

We got home, and I would've ran into the house if I weren't so worn out. I flopped down face-first on the couch.

"Mmm… weekend," I murmured into the cushions.

"Uh huh. What's the big deal anyway? We've still got another week of school," Kyo-kun complained from somewhere in the room.

"Weekend," I insisted. I heard him laughing distantly. I smiled into the scratchy fabric. Even if he did have a crush on someone, at least I could still make him laugh.

"KYO-KUN!"

_Oh, God._

"Wha-?!"

I sat up.

"Welcome home, my Kyo-kun!"

"Why are you in my house?!"

Kagura smiled furiously. I had a bad feeling that she was going to explode, but oddly enough, she managed to contain it. She instead sat down at the kotatsu and patted the floor next to her. Kyo-kun sat down facing away from her on the other side of the table. I smirked inwardly.

_See? He doesn't like you either._

"Well?! What do you want?" he snapped, "Tell me your business and let's get this over with!"

"Huh?" Kagura asked, "I don't have any business."

"In that case, DON'T COME!"

"Why not…?"

_Because he wants nothing to do with you._

"Can't I come to see you when I want to?"

"I don't want to see you!"

_See?_

"Kyo-kun…" she whined, "You're so cruel… you're so cruel, even though…"

"Kagura-sa…" Honda-san started.

"EVEN THOUGH I LOVE YOU SOOOO MUCH!"

She lifted the kotatsu off the floor.

"Would you hurry up and figure out that that's WHY I don't want to see you?!"

Shigure grabbed the back of Kyo-kun's head and shoved him into Kagura's arms.

"…Oh" she sighed, hugging him tightly.

"Shi-gu-re…" Kyo-kun growled.

"I'll lend him to you, Kagura," he smiled, brushing the hair out of his face, "Why don't you take him on a date or something?"

"Shii-chan, you say the nicest things!" she squealed.

"Hey! Wait a minute! What do you mean 'lend'?!"

_This is so stupid._

I went up to my bedroom, closing (borderline slamming) my door closed. I pulled my desk chair - the rolling kind, because no self-respecting teenager should live without one - over to the window. Looking out the window, I could see that the majority of the snow had melted already. The clouds were gathering again. It would probably snow again later. Or maybe rain - it didn't seem cold enough for snow anymore. I closed my eyes against the world. Losing myself in thought, drifting off, I don't know how long I sat there.

"Cut it out!" Kyo-kun's voice echoed through my window, "I held your hand this long. Isn't that enough?! You know I hate people clinging to me!"

I looked down. I expected to see Kagura and Kyo-kun by themselves - maybe Honda-san running out to greet them, but there was an extra person. I flung my window open, staring down at the top of his head.

"Kyo…"

Kyo-kun turned, seeing him for the first time since his time in the mountains.

"Shishou…?"

* * *

"It's been a long time… Shihan," I said.

"You've gotten taller. And you've fleshed out, Yuki."

I couldn't help but smile at him. It had been so long since I'd seen him. I hadn't studied martial arts with him for a few weeks before he just disappeared with Kyo-kun. I couldn't train with him anymore. It was always a sort of meditation in my eyes - the humbling yet comforting knowledge that there was someone who could beat me in a fight. When that just disappeared, I was a little sad. Of course, it wasn't just Shihan I'd been missing. Those days alone were the first ones when I realized what a comfort Kyo-kun's presence had been to me. When he came back, I remember how much my heart had leapt at the thought of being able to simply eat my meals with him again.

Kagura was greeted similarly. Once they had Honda-san introduced, all that was left was Kyo-kun.

"Kyo-kun. Why don't you stop hiding and say hello?" Shigure asked, looking at him. He was leaned up against the doorframe to the kitchen, looking absently at the floor.

"You haven't seen him since you trained in the mountains, right? Aren't you happy to see him?"

"I -"

He stopped, and he glanced over at me. I felt my heart sink. Did he really still not trust me enough to say how he felt in front of me?

He turned back to Shihan, and stood up. He walked over to him, and took a swing at his chest. Shihan blocked it with the palm of his hand.

"Welcome back! Welcome back, Shishou!"

I'd never seen him happier. His face was pulled into the most brilliant and happy smile I'd ever seen. He'd made the decision to show me exactly what he felt. No walls, no barriers. Just him. It made me feel like I'd just been given the greatest prize in history, and yet it was so much more than that. Kyo-kun had given me his trust.

"I'm glad to see you, too," Shihan smiled, pulling his hand away from Kyo-kun's fist and tousling his hair. I was thrilled to see him so happy, but I figured he needed his space. But, he and Shihan actually went up to his room to talk in private before I managed to excuse myself.

"I can't believe he did that," Kagura giggled.

"Yes, it is rather unlike him," Shigure agreed.

"Uh… what is?" Honda-san asked.

"Well, he just openly acted like that in front of all of us," Kagura said, "Which is extra weird because Yun-chan is here."

"Oh really?"

"Yep! It must be a sign that they're getting along better, right?" she asked, turning to me. I knew she wasn't expecting a response, so I didn't bother.

"And it also means that he's that much closer to accepting his love for me…!"

"I'm going to my room," I stated, standing up. I honestly didn't give a damn what she had to say about him. She would never understand. How could she just go around claiming people as her own without asking them first? Why could she just openly state her affections like that. To be honest, it made me a little jealous.

I returned to my spot by the window, allowing the time to pass again. I heard footsteps, yelling, a lot of giggling and yelling, and then silence. It wasn't a common occurrence when Kagura was over. I almost went downstairs to see what was going on, but I thought better of it. Instead I just continued to stare out the window.

I was confused. Don't get me wrong, I was happy to see Shihan, I just didn't know why he decided to come back all of a sudden. I wasn't sure he ever _would_ come back, yet there he was. My question was 'why?'. Why then of all times?

I watched out my window as he exchanged a few words with Honda-san in front of the house. They were probably talking about Kyo-kun. It made me jealous. It seemed like everyone qualified as a better friend to Kyo-kun than me. Kyo-kun and I were friends, so why couldn't he ask me about him? I knew him, I understood him. Why did I have to pretend I didn't know? Didn't care?

"Yun-chan?"

I turned to see Kagura standing in my doorway.

"Come in," I said, stepping away from the window.

"Have you seen Kyo-kun?" she asked, closing the door behind her. I hated when people did that. Why couldn't they just turn around to close a door? Closing it behind their backs like that - well, it reminded me of someone I didn't like.

"He's probably in bed eating blue candy," I said, smirking.

"Hmm," she smiled knowingly, "You really do know him. Why are you hiding?"

"I'm not hiding," I lied.

"Yes you are," she insisted, "You act like caring about him is bad."

"It is."

_That's why I have to hide it._

"No it isn't."

_See? Just like I said, you'll never understand._

"You don't know how I feel," I murmured.

"Then tell me."

_You'd never look at me the same._

"It's wrong. It's wrong to care."

"No it's not."

_Why can't you see just how much I hate myself right now?_

"It is when it's the way I care."

"How do you…"

I looked at the floor.

_She'll judge me now. Shoot me down, call me disgusting. Maybe she'll make fun of me. Or she might tell me I don't stand a chance against her._

"Oh… um… well…"

"You can't tell anyone. Just forget you heard it, okay?"

"No one else knows?" she asked.

"No."

"Does anyone even know you're gay?"

If I'd had something in my mouth I would have spit it across the room.

"Wasn't that a little blunt?"

"How was I supposed to say it?" she asked, tilting her head.

I considered.

"Attracted to boys, maybe?"

"You're blushing,' she informed me. I clapped my hands over my face in embarrassment.

She giggled.

"It's not wrong to be - uh - attracted to boys. That's just how you were born. I'm perfectly fine with that. My issue is that you're trying to steal my Kyo-kun."

I chuckled. So she really had accepted me. I hadn't expected it. All those sites online said that the people who really cared would accept you, but I hadn't believed them.

"Oh, it's raining," she said, noting the steady pattering on the roof. I walked over to the window, and Kagura joined me.

"Ah!"

"What is he thinking?"

"Kyo-kun was standing down there, and appeared to be shouting at Shihan. He looked drenched, cold, and miserable. I felt myself regretting ever wishing for rain. I watched silently as they talked, or in Kyo-kun's case, shouted, the sound muffled too much by the rain and the walls surrounding us to hear their exact words. I watched in silence as Shihan reached out and grabbed Kyo-kun's wrist. His bracelet bounced visibly as his hand was forced into the air.

"Oh, God," Kagura gasped from her spot beside me.

"What?" I asked. I looked at the two of them. Something definitely seemed out of place. It looked like Shihan was focused on Kyo-kun's bracelet. When I thought about it, I wasn't sure I'd ever seen him without it. I tried to think back. I realized, that even all those years ago, on the day we'd first met, he'd been wearing that exact same bracelet. Why? Why did he feel the need to wear it all the time? I didn't understand. For some reason, I didn't want Shihan to take it off.

When Kagura didn't answer, I turned to see her covering her mouth with her hand as tears silently fell down her cheeks.

"What?!"

A silence fell over us. Nothing moved. Nothing breathed. For a moment, the world had died. The patter of the rain falling steadily on the roof seemed muted in my ears. Everything was silent until a single shouted sentence seeped through the walls and echoed loudly in my ears, reaching the most dormant recesses of my mind.

"DON'T LOOK AT ME!"

I turned just in time to see Kyo-kun's ever present bracelet hit the ground.

* * *

**Author's Note: Well, I've now officially fallen in love with this story. I can't believe what a wonderful cliffhanger I managed to create! And, if you didn't think so, then I'm sorry. I've read notes that say that the author thought it was a cliffhanger when I didn't think it really was, so I get where you're coming from. Oh, and before you ask, the next chapter is NOT the same as it was in the manga or the anime. Thank you. Review, it makes me write faster.**


	7. Stay Together

**Yuki's POV:**

* * *

"DON'T LOOK AT ME!"

I turned just in time to see Kyo-kun's ever present bracelet hit the ground.

I watched in shocked silence as Kyo-kun underwent the painfully slow transformation into the most terrible creature I'd seen in my entire life.

Shock.

Pure, untainted shock.

I could've stayed in its arms for the rest of my life. I was only pulled out by the sound of Kagura's quiet voice ripping through me like a dagger splitting through my skull and echoing in my brain until I was nearly driven to the brink of insanity.

"The zodiac cat's true form."

I ran. All my senses were on fire, emphasizing every little sound, engraving the sound of my bare feet hitting the stairs as I abandoned all reason and logic to follow a simple yet powerful emotion. I made it outside just in time to see him disappear into the woods. Honda-san's back faced me, as she stood in the same shocked silence I had been consumed by not thirty seconds ago.

"Honda-san! We have to go after him!"

She made a small noise as she was pulled out of the emotional trance. I ran into the yard, ignoring the mud slipping between my toes as I ducked my head to block the onslaught of rain, and she followed my lead. I was vaguely aware of her running behind me as I stumbled along the wide path Kyo-kun had felt for me to follow.

"Guagh!"

I looked back to see Honda-san sprawled over a large root.

"Honda-san!"

_No, not now! Kyo-kun needs us!_

"Are you okay?!"

She threw up.

_It must be the smell. Why can't she just… no, this isn't her fault, but…_

"Go," she choked out, "Kyo-kun…"

"Come after me when you can."

_She's too kind to hold this against me. I know she must be in pain right now, but…_

I kept running. The trail went straight into the woods and then changed direction. Despite the darkness, broken branches, claw marks, and pelting rain, I could still recognize the path. I coughed. My chest was seizing by the time I reached the lake - our lake.

He was there, perched on the same rock he'd been on when I'd brought him his dinner a few weeks ago. I'd never told him that I was the one who made it. I silently thanked my unsteady breathing for keeping the smell from hitting me full on. But it was still there, that distinct smell of rotting flesh. I'd only experienced it with animals on the side of the road that had been dead for hours, but…

_It smells like a dead human._

"K- Kyo…"

He turned on me, baring his teeth. I was reminded of an untamed animal, a leopard snarling down before it killed its prey, or a wolf prepared to rip another of its own kind apart. I was absolutely terrified. But he did the one thing that he could've done to make me move forward. He turned to run.

"No!"

I jumped on him, grabbing onto his leg and holding on for dear life. His life. It had intertwined with my own, and I wouldn't let go of that. It wasn't something I wanted to loose.

"You can't… you can't do that," I choked out, "I'm so tired of seeing your back as you run away from me. You can't do that to me again!"

He screeched and dug his claws into my shoulder, throwing me through the mud. I felt something hot run down my arm. And then, I couldn't feel my arm at all.

_No…!_

I wrapped my legs around his disfigured limb, refusing to be shaken off. It was all that mattered.

"Kyo…kun…" the small voice barely reached me through the pounding of blood in my ears. But I had heard her.

"Honda-san!" I yelled. It was so painful to admit, but I wasn't the one Kyo-kun needed. He didn't feel for me the way I felt for him. It was okay with me. But I couldn't - no - wouldn't be able to live without him in my life.

_Love her. Love me. Love anyone, just don't leave._

I heard her voice again, just next to me that time.

"Let's go back… back home. You have to go back. You… you just_ have_ to… I couldn't bear it if you don't!"

"Stop it! Let go…"

"Don't you get it?!

"NO! I DON'T GET IT!"

"WHY NOT?!" I shrieked. He growled.

"Kyo…" I choked, but kept going. I wasn't ready for the consequences if we couldn't help him - couldn't make him understand. He had to understand how we felt - how I felt.

"I don't care what you decide in the end," I said, "I'll be whatever you need me to be for you - a love, a friend, an enemy, it's okay. I'll do that. I said I would accept you, I decided that for myself. If this is a part of you, then it's okay. I'm scared of you right now, but Kyo- that's okay. I don't need to like this, Kyo, but even though I don't love everything about you, you're someone who I care about. I care about you so much, Kyo, so you need to know that. There are things about you I don't like, but that's okay. What matters is that I can still accept you, bad traits and all. That… even though you're not perfect… I love you. Everything's okay as long as you know that, right? If you know that, then you'll stay, won't you? We can stay together if you know that, right? I don't care how but… I'll only be happy if we're together! I won't let go until you promise me that! Promise me, Kyo! WE HAVE TO STAY TOGETHER!"

A leg. A human leg. That's what I was holding. The rain stopped.

"Yuki…"

His voice. It couldn't have sounded more wonderful.

"Yuki, you can let go now."

A promise.

I fell into the mud.

"Ah!" Sohma-kun!"

"Hey!"

_Poof!_

"Yuki!"

I coughed lightly. A pair of calloused hands lifted my body off the ground, cradling me gently.

"Idiot, what were you thinking?"

"Don't let you leave," I answered honestly.

"It's not something you need to go and kill yourself over."

"I'm alive."

"Barely. You know you're not supposed to over do it. What would we do if you'd had an attack?"

"Called Hatori?"

"In the middle of the woods?"

"I have a cell phone," I told him.

"Since when?"

"I got my mom to sign for me to get one this year," I told him.

"What makes you think you'd have reception?"

"The concussion monster?"

"Idiot," he said again, but chuckled all the same.

"Aw…!" Honda-san squealed, and I could only just see her tackle Kyo-kun in a bear-hug. Again, I landed in the mud.

"Oh, I uh…"

A pair of small and soft hands picked me up that time, and placed me gently on a pleated skirt.

"Are you okay?" Kyo-kun asked, curling around me in Honda-san's lap.

"Are you?"

"I'm as good as I can be after getting the sappiest love confession in history. And, for the record, I always thought you were a total idiot for not knowing I like you," he told me. My heart soared. I heard Honda-san laugh above us.

"Honda-san, you're not… upset?"

"Oh, no, not at all," I just make out her hands waving wildly in front of her face, "I mean, a little surprised, yes, but I'm still very, very happy for you both!"

I had been stupid for expecting anything else from her. If Kagura had accepted it, of course she would.

"You sure?" Kyo-kun asked her, "I mean, you can tell us if you're not okay with it."

"No, I mean, I'm completely fine with it! Just like how I'm fine with Hatsaharu-san being… uh… well…"

"Haru is bi," I stated.

"Ah… oh."

"How the hell do you know?" Kyo-kun asked me. I blushed at what he was suggesting.

"He_ told_ me!"

"Well, you're mine now," Kyo-kun stated, draping his paw over me. My instant reflex was to tense up, but when he pulled me against the soft fur of his belly, I couldn't help but snuggle up with him.

"You are just so…"

"Hmm?" I looked up at Honda-san, trying to make out the features of her face. Stupid animal vision.

"I guess what I'm trying to say is… I think it's great… that you two are getting along."

Even through my blurred vision, I could see the brilliant smile that adorned her face.

"Let's go home, okay?"

"Sure," Kyo-kun said. I could hear the obvious happiness in his voice. Honda-san picked up Kyo-kun, who held me against his chest where I fell asleep in the comfort of the newly returned sun's heat. It felt like all was right with the world.

But the story's not over yet.

* * *

**Author's Note: I don't really know to count that as a cliffhanger... Because in all respect, that seemed almost like a happy ending. But honestly... you didn't think I'd end it there, did you? What about the endurance run? The end of the year dance? New Years? There are still so many loose ends to tie up... Oh well, I guess you'll have to endure more conflict. Too bad. Not for me though! I love it! Thank you for the reviews! So guess what? I want more of them now! I'm so Greedy! Sorry, I have this thing where I capitalize the seven deadly sins... Yeah, Fullmetal Alchemist does things to you. I love you all! **


	8. New Conflicts

**Yuki's POV:**

* * *

"It's not like you have any conflict on that day right? I'm very busy myself."

Even through the receiver, my mother's voice had the same chill it always had…

"Is that all you wanted to talk about?"

And all the feeling from back then…

"Very well. I'll see you then."

…came flooding back to me. The feelings of sinking - of falling - of having all the color sucked out of life.

I hung up the phone.

"Yuki?"

I coughed lightly before answering him.

"What?"

"Are you okay?" Kyo-kun asked me. He knew me too well. I nodded.

"Liar."

I looked up at him. He had that stubborn look on his face that he always got when he wouldn't take no for an answer.

"I'm just a little nervous about my parent-teacher conference, is all," I told him.

"Oh," he said, "Who's coming to it?"

"My mom," I told him.

"Your mom?"

"Yes," I said, in a case closed sort of way.

"I get it," he said, startling me.

"How would you…?"

"Well none of the members of the zodiac are exactly on wonderful terms with their parents, now, are they? It's always strained, to say the least."

I nodded.

"You don't have to worry," he told me, "Nothing can really happen in school."

"I don't know that she'd care," I murmured.

He sighed and grabbed my wrist, leading me upstairs.

"Kyo -"

He shoved me into my room and closed the door.

"I can't be much of a support to you if I don't know what's going on," he told me.

"It's like you said," I murmured, "All of us have strained relationships with our parents."

"I know that's not the whole story just as well as you do," he said, glaring down at me. I silently cursed whoever had given Kyo-kun his height. It made him harder to say no to.

"So what if it isn't the whole story?" I snapped, "I don't have to tell you if I don't -"

He pulled me into a hug. I couldn't help but relax into his embrace.

"I'm sorry," he sighed, "I'm not all that great at this."

"Me neither," I smiled.

"I just want to help you through this if it's painful, so…"

"I know."

He pulled back, brushing the hair out of my face.

"Will you tell me?" he asked quietly, pressing his forehead against mine. I sighed. His hot breath on my face was comforting, tempting me to confide in him.

"Yes."

He leaned away, smiling affectionately. It was a hard thing to get used to - his being so open around me. I liked it, unquestionably, but I was still trying to get to know him for who he really was underneath the wall he'd kept up until it had crumbled to the ground along with our confusion about our own feelings.

"Good, because I still owe you for what you did yesterday," he said, running a hand through his hair.

"I held onto you and wouldn't let go," I smirked, "You don't owe me for that."

"It was a lot more than that," he told me, "I'd been waiting to hear those words my whole life."

I looked up at him, a question obvious in my eyes.

"I wanted someone to accept me," he explained, "I didn't want someone who was pretending. I wanted someone who could see me for who I am and still want to be with me."

"I can't have made that much of a difference," I murmured.

"Yes you did," he frowned, "Yuki, I needed you."

My eyes widened.

* * *

_"You see this? My world is a black place, Yuki. I have to make my room match."_

_"Akito…?"_

_"And you, Yuki. You're pitch black, too. We're always together, so you have to be black, too. We have to be the same to be fair, right?"_

_I was so scared. He'd never lost it like that before. But on that day when he picked up a brush and splattered his walls with the darkness he claimed was inside me, there was something different in his eyes. Something insane._

_"No… No, we can't be the same. That would make me unnecessary."_

_"Akito -"_

_"But I'm chosen! I'm needed! I'm here because I have to be! I'm not the same as you! You're just my toy! Your mother gave you to me! Ha ha ha! That's as good as getting abandoned! Don't you get it?! Everyone hates the rat, stupid!"_

_He shoved me to the ground._

_"Nobody cares about you! Nobody cares! You need me. If I didn't care about you, there'd be no reason for you to be alive!"_

* * *

_"Mother… I want to go home, too! I hate it there! Akito only says scary things! I hate it. I want to go home. Take me with you. Mother… Mother… Mother, please… help me!"_

_"Aren't you lucky, Yuki? The head of the family likes you. Keep having him be your friend. See you later."_

_She slammed the car door in my face._

* * *

_I remember the first time I truly understood what was happening._

_"Did you hear about Yuki-san's parents? They're living it up apparently. It's the special status of the rat. They may be parents of zodiac children, but their youngest son's possession is what's landing them their money and positions. They sold their own child to the head of the family. As flattery. They really covered all their bases."_

_"Well, it's practically a human sacrifice - I sure couldn't do it."_

_They didn't know I'd been listening. Two women I hadn't ever met who knew more about me than I did._

* * *

_"You're a boy who turns into a rat. Of course it's weird. The concept is disgusting to normal people. It'll only drive them away. They'll leave you, Yuki."_

* * *

_"Are you going to die, Yuki?"_

_At that point, they thought they would loose me to my asthma._

_"Well? Are you?"_

_I simply coughed._

_"You're so boring."_

* * *

_"Are his parents here? I haven't seen them. I thought they might come to see him."_

_"Of course they won't - the two of them are on a trip."_

_"Are they? Then what about Ayame-san?"_

_"He just brushed me off."_

_"But… that's his baby brother!"_

_People were really good at talking about me like I couldn't even hear them back then._

* * *

_"You sure are hated,, Yuki."_

* * *

_"Someone as rotten as you oughta do us all a favor and just disappear!"_

* * *

_"No one cares."_

* * *

_"You're a boring human being."_

* * *

_"No one needs you."_

* * *

"Yuki?"

I looked up at him. It amazed me how different his eyes were from back then. The transition from pure hatred to concern. I never thought in a million years I would see the gentleness in those crimson orbs that I saw in that moment, and I melted into them. I flung my arms around him and cried.

"Hey- ah- what- what's wrong? I didn't mean to upset you, I just -"

"No," I murmured, "No, you didn't upset me, I just… I never thought…"

I turned up to look into his eyes.

"I never thought anyone would need me."

"Well that's kind of stupid," he said.

"Huh?"

"There are lots of people who need you," he told me, "How do you know Tohru wouldn't be stuck living with her asshole filled family if you hadn't offered for her to stay in the first place? And there would be a lot of unoccupied girls at our school if you weren't there -"

I laughed.

"- and if you weren't the president, the student council probably would've blown up the school by now."

"Probably."

"Ayame would need some else to harass all the time."

"I don't think I'd miss that one."

"Not to mention Shishou would have to deal with missing you while helping a depressed me."

"Don't joke about that."

"I'm not joking. I'd totally loose it if you left."

"You left," I murmured. He looked taken aback.

"You mean… my time in the mountains?"

"Yeah," I nodded, moving away from him and sitting on the edge of the bed, "That was when I realized I liked you. I missed you every single day. Especially during dinner."

"Why dinner?" he asked, sitting down next to me.

"Have you had Shigure's cooking?" I eyed him.

"You do not have the right to bash anyone's cooking," he informed me. I shoved him playfully.

"I kept telling myself that I had so much to be grateful for - being away from Akito and all - and I really was grateful for all that, I just missed you. So, I started asking myself questions. Giving myself honest answers, even if I didn't like them. I figured a lot out."

"What kinds of questions?"

I blushed.

"You know."

"Not really."

I looked away from him.

"Aren't you going to tell me?" he asked.

"Well, it's a little embarrassing," I forced out.

I felt the bed shift where his was sitting.

"Well, now you have to tell me."

"Curiosity killed the cat," I smirked.

"Too bad I'm a human."

I sighed and stared at the ceiling.

"Well, I sort of asked myself… if I'd ever liked a girl, and if I'd ever thought about…"

"Yes?"

"If I'd ever thought about kissing you," I shot from my mouth faster than a bullet.

He was silent for a moment.

"Well, have you?"

In moments like that, I sort of wondered if he was truly just that stupid or if he was trying to make me embarrassed.

"Aren't we getting a little off topic?" I tried.

"You can tell me about your mom if you'd prefer."

"I think that'd be good."

"Alright, hit me."

"Be careful or I will," I muttered. He smiled as I turned back to face him.

"So you want to know about my mom," I sighed, "Well, where should I even start? Uh… I guess I'll just give the long and short of it."

"Give me the short of it first," he told me. I smirked.

"She sold me to Akito."

* * *

**Author's Note: Alright, so I have two versions of the next chapter. One of them just jumps straight to the parent-teacher conference, and the other stays with them, picking up the conversation where it left off. It also holds them through the weekend and it has a coming-out scene to Shigure and Shishou. I'd like you guys to tell me which you'd prefer to see. Now, I have to be Ritsu for a moment. I'm sorry about the long length of this chapter. See, it was mostly dialogue, so I wasn't able to end it as quickly as normally do. So, again, I'm sorry about making you read the extra two pages of size ten font. It's a lot of extra material. Well, thank you for all the support, please review.**


	9. Closet Case

**Kyo's POV:**

* * *

"She what?!"

No way in hell anyone could ever do that. Sell their own kid? I tried to control myself. I honestly didn't think getting angry would help him. I still wanted to punch someone though.

"She wanted a bigger house and a larger range of privileges, I guess," he said calmly, "I didn't really understand that I'd been sold until I heard these two women at the main house talking about it."

"Isn't that illegal?" I tried.

"Probably," he shrugged, "But it was all pretty private. There definitely weren't any legal documents involved. The main house just sent my parents money to keep me locked in a room with Akito."

I growled.

"Don't kill her when she comes to the school," he warned. I took a deep breath.

"I won't," I promised. My eyes narrowed at the floor.

_So… what happened to him while he was locked in there? I hate admitting it, but I'm afraid to ask._

He coughed again. I was starting to worry about that. He'd been coughing since the day before. He really had strained himself. I knew he'd never admit it, but he'd looked terrified. Shaking, crying - I'm not sure he had any idea what he'd looked like. He'd been scared, afraid I would abandon him. I wondered if that had had anything to do with his mom leaving him. I really couldn't blame him if he had abandonment issues. He'd been so terrified, but he'd still held on, afraid of being left alone again. He was more afraid of being alone than of my true form. Which reminded me -

"How's you arm?"

He smiled weakly at me.

"My only concern with that is what to tell the boys in the locker room. It's not really bothering me," he said. I felt that he was being honest, and I let out a breath.

"I really am sorry about that," I tried.

"Don't be," he smiled, "I'll tell the kids at school I fought a bear and won."

I rolled my eyes.

"What is it with you and fighting bears?" I smirked.

"I think it's cool," he pouted.

"Sure."

"Yuki-kun! Kyo-kun! Please come downstairs…!"

We both sighed.

"Is it wrong that I want to send him through the roof?" I asked.

"Shigure is a very… punch-able person," Yuki agreed, standing up. I followed him, a little less than willingly, down the stairs and into the living room. Sitting there were Tohru, Shigure (blegh), and Shishou. Yuki and I took our own seats around the kotatsu, which I might add was a little cramped, considering none of them had bothered to share a side of it, so Yuki and I were sort of pressed against each other. Not that I was complaining.

"Yeah?" I snapped, "What did you call us down here for?"

"Well," Shigure started, "You both sort of surprised us yesterday. Honestly, I thought Tohru-kun would've been the one that was most concerned."

"She was concerned," Yuki stated, that look of barely portrayed anger plastered on his face.

"But you were the one who reacted first, Yuki," Shishou stated, "I was a little surprised by that, to say the least."

"You even told Tohru-kun to come with you before she even had time to react," Shigure added.

"I was worried," Yuki stated in a bored tone.

_Don't tell them just yet._

I looked over at Shishou.

"I have to admit, I was a bit surprised too," I said.

_Why not?_

"I don't see what's so strange about it. It was a flash reaction."

_Are you serious?_

"Really?"

_Dead serious._

Yuki sighed.

"Kyo, I don't see why you're confused about this. I thought my motives were pretty clear."

_You won't regret this?_

"I'm not confused."

_No._

"Okay then."

"Uh… what just happened?" Shigure asked.

"That's really none of your concern," Yuki said coldly. I smirked inwardly. We really had just had a conversation together that no one else had heard.

"Kyo, Yuki, I'm concerned about you both after yesterday," Shishou sighed, "And I'm not entirely sure I understand your relationship with one another. It seems like a lot has changed since I last saw you both."

"Well that's the understatement of the century," I muttered under my breath.

"Sorry, Kyo-kun, what was that?" Shigure asked, smiling.

"You're acting like you already know something," Yuki commented.

"Romance novelist's intuition," he said suggestively.

Shishou looked at him like he was nuts, Tohru looked a little nauseous, and Yuki just looked surprised.

"What do you…"

"Ah, ah, now, Yuki-kun, I want you to explain it to me. Not the other way around."

"We really won't be angry," Shishou added. I was positive he had no idea what he was talking about. Yuki and I looked at each other. I nodded. He did the same. We turned back to them.

"Well… uh… See, Kyo and I have been getting along…_ better_ recently," Yuki tried. I had to bite the inside of my cheek to keep from laughing.

"Well, I suppose that's good," Shishou said, still clearly confused. Yuki fixed me with a 'help me' look.

"And, so uh… we started being friends, and maybe… a little bit…" I trailed off. It really was hard to say it out loud.

"Maybe just a little bit more than that," Yuki forced out.

Shishou stared at us for a moment. I could almost see the gears in his head come to a standstill. I was a little worried he'd gone brain-dead.

"Think about rainbows," Shigure offered. I turned on him and jumped on him, hitting him over the head.

"You stereotypical bastard!"

"Kyo!" Yuki grabbed my arm and yanked me back down beside him. I 'hmphed', and turned back to Shishou.

"So… you like… boys?"

"Uh… yeah," I nodded.

"So, that one boy at the dojo… you had a crush on him?"

I gaped at him. Of all the things he could've said.

"I was SEVEN!" I burst.

"Oh, really?" Yuki asked, resting his head in his hand and smirking tauntingly, "I think I'd like to hear more about this."

"I really don't think you would," I growled.

"Well see when I first took Kyo in -"

"Don't!"

"- there was this one boy who attended the dojo."

"Yes, go on."

"Seriously?! Do we have to tell this story?!"

Shigure was laughing at that point, and Tohru looked like she was about to laugh as well.

"He was about… maybe… fourteen? Does that sound right Kyo?"

"Nothing about this sounds right!"

"Well, anyway. Kyo used to follow him around everywhere, always asking him questions and complimenting his form, even if he was doing it wrong, I might add."

"He probably needed more flirting practice."

"I did not!"

"But here's the best part, Kyo actually made him a necklace out of those little plastic colored beads."

"I'm taking a walk!"

"In the closet?"

"Don't get lost in there."

"Shut up!"

I slammed the door. I waited while the heat on my face died down, and allowed myself a small chuckle. I had to say, that went a lot better than I pictured.

* * *

**Author's Note: I'm glad you guys voted for me to put in this chapter. I just seems very upbeat and cute to me. And, don't lie, you all had that crush on that really cute older kid when you were little. If you didn't, it's just because you never met a cute older kid. Give Kyon-Kyon a break. Anyhow, The next chapter will be a little darker, but I think there will be a little light element in there. Haha, you don't know what I'm talking about. But, here's a hint - Yuki has apparently thought about it. (Check the last chapter for details). Anyway, please review, it really does make me write faster. I viewed three reviews today and hence wrote this chapter in one day. Sorry for the delay by the way. I was up at my summer home that has shitty wireless internet. Yes, I cussed. Arrest me. But seriously, people. Review.**


	10. Looming Shadows

**Yuki's POV:**

* * *

"Get up!"

"No," I grumbled into my pillow.

"We're going to be late for school, idiot!"

"No school. School bad."

My pillow was yanked out from under my head.

"Yes school. School good."

"No."

I felt my recently appreciated pillow whack me over the head. I ignored it. I heard Kyo-kun groan above me. He gripped me under the arms and dragged me out of bed and onto the floor. I still didn't move. Honestly, what part of 'five more minutes' is so hard to understand? I heard his footsteps leave the room. I curled up and tried to get comfy on the wooden floor. Kyo-kun's footsteps returned, and something cold and wet fell on my face.

"Ah!"

"Are you awake now?"

"Yes…" I grumbled, throwing the cold washcloth back at him. He just laughed it off.

"What's so funny?" I growled.

"You. In the morning. Being stupid," he chuckled.

"Whatever," I pouted.

"Just get dressed already," he rolled his eyes, "Your parent-teacher conference is today."

I eyed him sadly.

"Can I call in dead?"

"No," he said, "You really should just get it over with."

I sighed, standing up.

"Fine. Get out."

"Huh?" he asked.

"I'm getting dressed. Leave."

He laughed.

"Sure. See you downstairs, oh great Yuki the self-conscious."

I threw my pillow at his back as he walked out the door.

"Parent-teacher conferences, huh?"

After I was dressed and ready, I went downstairs to join Kyo-kun and Honda-san for breakfast. It all went pretty smoothly, aside from Shigure taunting Kyo-kun and I for smiling at each other. With that, we left the house, enjoying the cool crisp morning.

"I wonder if it'll snow again today?" Honda-san asked.

"Probably not, I don't think it's cold enough for that yet," Kyo-kun said.

"No, if anything it'll rain again," I sighed. My plants were getting drowned. Honestly, another rainstorm and I was sure we'd all drown.

"Well, that's too bad. I was sort of hoping it would snow," she sighed, "I had a lot of fun the last time it did."

I recalled our little snowball fight and smiled at the memory.

"Hey!"

We all turned to see Uotani-san running towards us.

"Tohru-chan! You left your math book at my house," she heaved, handing said book to Honda-san.

"Oh, I- I'm sorry you had to go to all this trouble! Thank you so much for bringing to me," she sputtered.

Kyo-kun and I shared a glance.

"It's no trouble," Uotani-san shrugged, "I had to check up on these two idiots too."

"Who're you calling an idiot?" Kyo-kun growled.

"You, who else?" she smirked at him.

"I believe you called me an idiot as well," I reminded her.

"Oh yeah. Well, you're an idiot too," she shrugged in dismissal.

"Not as far as you're concerned," Kyo-kun smirked, as if in victory.

"Oh really?" she asked, turning to me.

"Uh… what's going on?" I asked.

"This stupid Yankee was the first person I told I liked you," Kyo-kun smirked, "And I didn't even really tell her. She sort of figured it out on her own. The rest of it she forced out of me."

I smiled and nodded in understanding.

"So, you two are…"

"The most adorable couple ever!" Honda-san squealed.

"Is that right?" she smirked, "So who's the man in this relationship?"

"Say what?" Kyo-kun and I said in unison.

"You know. Who's…" she trailed off, holding one of her hands above the other.

"Ah! Neither of us, idiot! We started dating THIS WEEKEND!" Kyo-kun shouted. I felt my face get intensely hot when I figured out what they were talking about. I turned away, staring directly at Honda-san as a result. Her cheeks were overly red as well.

_She really knows what they're talking about? Well, I guess her mother and her friends aren't the best people to nurture her innocence, regardless of how good they are at being there for her._

"We should probably get to school, don't you think?" I said, quietly interrupting their yelling match. They both turned to look at me. I turned away again, trying to hide my blush.

"Well, even if you guys don't know yet, I've got a pretty good idea," Uotani-san stated. My face got hotter.

"So school?" Honda-san suggested.

"Sure."

We walked there in a comfortable (if not still a little embarrassing) silence. We met up with Momiji, Haru, and Hanajima-san at the front gates.

"I should probably go and wait for my mom," I said quietly.

"Oh. Okay. We'll go ahead to class, okay, Sohma-kun?"

"Yeah, okay," I smiled. It felt so wrong on my face. Why couldn't they see my happy mask falling apart at the seams? They all turned to leave, but Kyo-kun stayed.

"You guys go ahead," he told them, "I'll be there in a sec."

They collectively nodded or shrugged (or stared blankly in Hanajima-san's case), and turned to leave.

Kyo-kun just stared into my eyes for a while.

"I have to go," I murmured.

"I could… no. I couldn't come with you, could I?" Kyo-kun sighed.

"No, sorry, I don't think she…"

"It's okay," he smiled, "I know how parents can be in our family. I'm not the most popular person you could take to meet your mom."

"I just wish that…"

"Hey, you'll be fine, alright? No worries."

I nodded. Even though I was still scared. I tried not to show it. I guess I just took too long to leave. Kyo-kun grabbed me by the wrist and pulled me against him.

"Yuki, calm down," he murmured.

"No, I- I'm okay -"

"You're shaking."

"I am?"

"Like a leaf."

"Sorry," I murmured, leaning against him. He ran his fingers through my hair as I buried my face in his chest. I felt a light, momentary pressure on top of my head. I pulled away, startled.

"Did you just… kiss me?"

"On top of the head," he said, frowning, "I won't do it again if you're not okay with -"

"No! That's not what I meant!"

He smirked at me.

"I- I didn't mean anything weird or anything, I just…"

_I just rarely loose my composure like this and I have no idea how to deal with this situation and I was already worried and now I'm embarrassed and my face is getting really hot and Kyo-kun's going to think I'm a total idiot and his lips are on mine oh my god…!_

It was chaste, simple, and filled with so much affection I thought I could've floated off the ground. And as quickly as he'd leaned in, he leaned back.

"Don't worry about me right now," he smiled, "The only thing that needs to be on your mind about me right now is that I'm here for you, okay?"

I blushed furiously.

"O- okay."

* * *

**Author's Note: Over the top fluff. I have to make up for what I'm going to do to them later, you see? Anyhow, I don't have a lot to say about this chapter. I had a lot of it written out before I actually typed it up, so I was able to update pretty fast. Not that I don't normally update fast with this story. These guys are my OTP, so I don't have any difficulty writing their story. My LxLight ones and my Edvy are taking some seriously hard work though. I'm just sort of having writers block with "What Are You Waiting For?" and "Collaboration" is coming to a close and it hurts me so much to say goodbye to it that I'm putting it off. As for the Edvy ("Aftermath"), I'm just having some issues getting into it at the moment. I guess this one is really attention grabbing for me. Oh, and I have some bad news. I'll be posting a little less often now, because I'm now starting my second year in high school. Technically speaking it's actaully my first, because my district has a Japanese school system. I know, what're the odds, right? Anyway, sorry in advance for that. Wish me luck, but most of all, REVIEW! **


	11. Family Relations

**Kyo's POV:**

* * *

My mind was betraying me. As hard as I tried to focus on the lesson (not very hard) I couldn't seem to get my mind off Yuki. I kept seeing his face in the hallway after he'd finished his call with her. He had been terrified, and even worse, broken. It was the only word to describe how he looked leaning against the wall, staring at the floor, reliving the horror that was his past.

"Please stop worrying about him," a monotonous voice sounded from behind me, "Your waves are distracting me."

"What do I care?" I snapped quietly back at Hana, "It's your own damn fault for reading my mind all the time."

"Even if I tried to ignore it, you're screaming in your head," she told me, "It's rather annoying, actually."

"How the hell can you scream in your head?"

"You're the one doing it, you should know."

"Perhaps Kyo Sohma or Saki Hanajima would like to tell us the answer," our teacher's voice sounded right above me.

_Oh, shit._

"I'm afraid I can't. Kyo was being distracting."

"I wasn't the one spouting off some damn wave nonsense!"

"Both of you, go to the office," Sensei smirked.

"Damn it, you just like getting us into trouble, don't you?"

"What I like really isn't your business, is it?" she said, a hint of evil in her eyes.

_I swear, sometimes I wonder what kind of person sensei really is…_

"Alright, alright, we'll go to the office!" I burst, practically sprinting from the room. Hana met me in the hall.

"We're telling the principle the truth, you got that?" I growled at her.

"I don't like your tone," she told me.

"What are you, my mother?"

"No, that would be impossible, considering that we're the same age."

"Whatever, let's just go," I grumbled, leading her away. When we got to the office, the principle seemed a bit terrified and let us both off with a warning.

"What was with that?" I asked her.

"He seems to be afraid of me for some reason," she murmured.

"Yeah. I guess being different isn't all it's cracked up to be," I agreed.

"You aren't different," she turned to me, "Yes, you have strange signals, indeed, but you feel the same things everyone else does. I'm not different either. I don't really know why the Sohmas have such strange signals, but I know that you and Yuki are good people. Isn't that all that matters?"

I stared down at her for a moment, and then I smiled.

"Yeah," I said, "I'll meet you back in class, okay?"

_I'll just check to make sure he's okay._

"Don't get caught," she told me.

"Stop reading my mind!"

She shook her head and turned to go back to class. I could've sworn that for just a moment she had smiled at me. I smirked and turned to go the counselor's office. I peeked in through the door, surprised that it was open in the first place. But, Yuki wasn't there. It was just Mayu-sensei, and…

"Aya?!"

_Well, so much for secrecy._

"Oh, Kyonkichi!"

"Why aren't you in class?"

"Yuki was late," I said, implying that I had been sent to get him, and still not lying.

"He just went after our mother," Aya told me.

"I'll go find him," I said quickly. I closed the door behind me. I heard the door open and close again behind me.

"Kyo! That might not be -"

"So you think waiting in the counselor's office is better than helping him deal with his bitch mother?"

"You haven't met my mother, though," he called after me, "You don't know what sort of person she is!"

"That's what you think," I shot back at him over my shoulder, proud to have a secret from him.

"You're RUINING your LIFE!"

Aya and I both froze. Watching Yuki standing there next to his mom, I couldn't help but feel pain for him. She really did look like the stereotypical bleach-blonde bitch with too much lipstick in the teenage problem movies. And Yuki, well, he looked scared.

"I REFUSE to be humiliated over something so insignificant as a child who can't even THINK for HIMSELF!"

She drew back her hand to slap him. But it never reached him. Her hand connected with my arm instead.

_When did I move…?_

She stared at me a moment before her situation seemed to sink in. She yanked her hand away, suddenly staring at it as though she had touched a dead carcass. I braced myself against the harsh words that I knew would come.

"Yuki, is this the kind of company you keep?" she snarled in disgust, still staring at her hand, "You really never have had a worthwhile thought of your own, have you?"

"Yes I have."

"Yuki…?" I murmured, turning around to face him. He looked into my eyes, determination flashing in them. He walked around me, and faced his mom.

"I think things all the time," he said, "And just because you don't agree with me doesn't mean that I shouldn't be able to voice my opinions. As for me, Kyo is the best person I've ever met, so learn what it is you're talking about before you reject someone. Think about the affect your actions will have on others, rather than just yourself. You can't just decide who a person is for them. You can't make my life. I want to live in this world and be a part of it. To do that, I know I'm going to have to put forth an effort, but I think I'm ready to make that effort. The result might be something that you don't like, but I want to be something that_ I_ can be proud of. So, I don't want you to decide anything without asking me. I don't want you deciding my fate for me. I will go on to college, and as for where I'll apply, I'll think about that on my own. I'll decide my own fate, my own friends, my own loves on my own."

She scoffed and turned tail.

"Hmm," I smirked, "She walked away. That's a mistake on her part."

"She'll figure that out someday," Yuki smiled, turning back to me.

"Yuki," Aya suddenly made his presence apparent again, "That was incredible."

The brothers actually shared a smile.

"Are you okay?" I asked him.

He turned to me, smiling vibrantly.

"I just stood up to my mother, so yeah," he told me brightly.

"I'm sorry, but I think I missed something," Aya interrupted us.

"Well, we're friends now," Yuki said. I smiled, signaling that I understood his already clear message of 'don't tell him'.

"You shouldn't tell anyone," I added, "Somehow I don't think Akito would be thrilled about the two of us getting along."

"Oh, you have little faith," Aya smiled brightly, "But believe me when I tell you - your secret's safe with me!"

"Yeah…" I deadpanned.

"Well, we really should be getting back to class," Yuki pointed out.

"Yes, please, run into the arms of education! Don't let my charm and natural tendency to attract people keep you from what is truly important, dear brother!"

I was already dragging Yuki away by the wrist by the time he had finished.

"So why was he here today anyway?"

"I guess he found out that our mother was coming," he shrugged, "He came to support me. He was raised by her too, after all."

My eyes widened. I'd never really thought of that.

"Still, I probably shouldn't have said he was reliable," Yuki muttered, staring at the ceiling, "He'll probably be telling Hatori about it for hours."

"Aw, tuff," I feigned concern. He chuckled and pushed me playfully.

"By the way," he sighed, getting serious, "Thanks for stepping in back there. I'm sorry if my mother offended you."

"Hey, I just didn't want you to get hurt," I told him, "You saved me once, too, you know."

He smiled.

"Yes, I know."

* * *

**Author's Note: Well, that felt fluffy. So, I believe the next chapter will be Kyo's point of view, and the next will be Yuki's. So, can I ask a question? *silence* Well, I was wondering how many of you have noticed that Yuki has nicknamed Kyo in his head, even though he won't say it out loud. He thinks of him as "Kyo-kun" even though he just calls him Kyo. So, of course this will be extremely fluffy when Kyo finds out about his nickname, right? Please tell me your thoughts. Is it cute? Stupid? Weird? Do you think I'm on crack? I'd love to know!**


	12. Endurance Run

**Kyo's POV:**

* * *

Tuesday. It was Tuesday on the last week of school. Four more days and a dance and we'd be free for winter break. To say I was eager was an understatement.

I was in the boys' locker room getting dressed out for our endurance run. I glanced over at Yuki but quickly reverted my eyes to the floor. His back was to me, so all I could see was the outline of his figure and his shoulder blades sticking out and causing his lean back muscles to ripple. I forced myself into a state of moving and thinking meditation in order to calm myself down. Damn it, I was worse than the dog.

I pulled on the t-shirt and shorts. Most of the guys were wearing either sweatpants or a sweatshirt, or both. I guess the cold just didn't bother that much. I left the locker room early (because I don't wear a tie or warm clothing) and made my way to the starting line. The girls had already left, so I didn't think I'd have to worry about them. I sat down under a tree and waited while the other guys came out of the locker room.

"Hey, Kyo!" one of them shouted at me, "Wanna race?"

"If you want to get your ass kicked!" I yelled back.

"Uh, Kyo…"

I looked up to see Yuki staring down at me timidly.

"Aren't you cold?" he asked me.

"No, it doesn't really bug me. Besides, I'll be overheating in a few minutes."

Yuki coughed into his elbow.

"Are you sure you should be doing this?" I asked him. He finished coughing and smiled at me.

"My throat's just been bothering me the past few days," he said, "I'm perfectly fine."

"Well, okay…"

Our teacher blew his whistle. Yuki and I walked over to join the other boys who were gathering around him.

"Now remember, this is for time, so give it your best shot. Now take your starting positions."

We walked over to the front of the starting line, not wanting to have to deal with getting around the slower boys in our class.

"Do you want to race?" Yuki asked me.

"You're on," I smirked, taking a starting position for a sprint. The whistle sounded, and I bolted. Soon Yuki and I had left everyone in the dust. We made our way along the clearly marked course, coming as close to the sidewalks on turns as we could to lower the distance of the curve. We twisted and turned all the way into the thick of town. Then, and only then, did I start to pull ahead. At first, it was just a little. Then more. And then even more, until Yuki was a good three meters behind me. I allowed myself a smirk, but it was way too soon to get cocky. I couldn't force myself to forget the previous year when Haru had tripped. I turned a corner, and I was far enough ahead that Yuki didn't even come into my peripheral vision. But something did.

"Kyo?!"

"Ah - Haru?!" I yelled back, looking over at him as he ran out of an alley to join me.

"What are you doing?!"

"What the hell are _you_ doing?!"

"I thought I'd take a short-cut through town!"

I snarled at him, "You cheated?!"

"More importantly, why are you running so fast?!"

"I'm racing!"

"With who?! We're the only ones here!"

"Huh? But he was…"

I slowed. Yuki was nowhere to be seen.

"You were racing Yuki?" he asked.

"Mm," I nodded, coming to a complete stop.

"And you were winning?" he raised an eyebrow. I was about to yell at him, until I realized what he was suggesting. As much as I hated to admit it, Yuki would have to be put under a disadvantage in order for me to get as far ahead as I had.

"You don't think…"

"His asthma?"

"Damn it!" I shouted, turning to run in the other direction. Haru followed after me, not complaining once about how fast I was going. He even managed to keep up with me for the most part. We ran down our own course, but where the boys' and girls' courses crossed, we were met with a bit of an obstacle. The bulk of the female population was running along steadily, blocking our path.

"That looks dangerous," Haru commented.

"But we need to -"

"Kyo-kun? Hatsuharu-san?"

Tohru mindlessly abandoned her jogging to join us.

"Why are you just standing here?" she asked us.

"Well we can't exactly get through that!" I growled, eyeing the cursed overabundance of females.

"But I thought the course went that way…"

"It does," Haru answered, "We're backtracking. We think Yuki might have had an asthma attack."

"Ah…!" she sounded so worried. I wanted to be able to act worried. Panic, yell, scream, even.

"Damn it!"

I wasn't going to wait. I raced through the hoard of girls, dodging each of them agilely, using my naturally good balance to my advantage. I didn't stop when I reached the other side. I kept running picking up speed, my eyes scanning all around for his familiar slender form. A flash of silver hair glistened in my peripheral vision. And there he was, lying on the grassy hill beside the path.

"Yuki!"

I stumbled down the slope, falling down beside him in order to stop my fall.

"Yuki…?"

He fixed me with a wide and desperate purple gaze. His breath was coming in short gasps.

_Don't panic! Don't panic!_

I had to do something. Anything!

I padded down his long winter sports pants, locating his cell phone and pulling it out of his pocket. I called the only number I could think of.

"Hello?"

"This is Kyo Sohma! I need to speak to Hatori right now!"

"One moment."

"Please hurry!"

"Hello?"

"Hatori!"

"Kyo, what's wrong?"

"Yuki… he…!"

"Kyo, calm down. Tell me what's going on as calmly as you can."

"He's having asthma… his breathing is wrong…"

"Are his lips or fingernails blue?"

"Y- yes…"

"Listen, I want you to call the paramedics. Until they get there, elevate his head. If he stops breathing altogether, give him CPR. Do you know how to do that?"

"Yes, I…"

"I'll meet you at the ER. Call the paramedics."

The line went dead. I shakily dialed the three decisive digits I'd hoped I'd never have to press.

"110, what is your emergency?"

"My cousin… he's having… asthma attack…"

"Where are you?"

I looked around and spotted the nearest street sign.

"Kimerly and Hemmingway. We're right near Kimerly and Hemmingway. By the bridge."

"An ambulance is on its way."

"Thank you," I hung up.

I turned Yuki so his feet were facing downhill, and I walked back up, placing his head in my lap. He looked terrified.

"Help is coming," I told him, laying my hand lightly on his chest. It felt like something was convulsing inside of him.

"Yuki!"

"Sohma-kun!"

Tohru and Haru fell down beside us.

"There's an ambulance coming," I told them, not taking my eyes off Yuki.

"A- ambulance?!"

"I called Hatori first. He said to do that."

Yuki gasped, seemingly trying to fill his lungs, sending himself into a short coughing fit.

"Calm down," I murmured, running my fingers comfortingly through his hair. His eyes darted between me and Tohru and Haru. Like he was trying to say something. It took me a moment to interpret his meaning.

I groaned.

"He can deal with it for now," I told him.

He closed his eyes, continuing to pant labouredly.

"Will he be okay?" Tohru asked me.

"I -"

The sound of sirens cut off my sentence. I watched quietly as the ambulance pulled up and the paramedics unloaded a stretcher. I helped them load Yuki into the back of the vehicle while Haru answered medical questions.

"Can I come with you?" I asked timidly.

"Only family -"

"I'm his cousin. We live together with another cousin - please."

* * *

**Author's Note: Well, let's just say it ends there, huh? No, I'm joking. I'm not THAT evil. Well, remember when I said a few chapters ago there was foreshadowing? Uo asked Yuki about the endurance run: "You had that attack last year, right?" or something like that. Well, that was the foreshadowing. It sort of got brushed off, if you recall. Anyway, I want four reviews at the least on this chapter! Because then I'll have two reviews per chapter, and that would be cool. Anyway, please let me know if you saw it coming a mile away that Yuki was going to have an asthma attack. I mean, he's been coughing ever since the true form chapter. So, review, review. And eat cake. That is your homework. As I said, I just started high school, and I hate all my homework, so I'm going to give an assignment that's enjoyable. Now, off with you to get that cake!**


	13. Complete Idiots

**Yuki's POV:**

* * *

The first thing I noticed on waking up was the pain in my chest. The second was a mask attached to my face. I forced my eyes open, taking in the white ceiling above me.

"Yuki?" a gentle voice called, "Yuki, can you hear me?"

I turned to see the familiar mass of orange hair I'd developed such a liking for.

"K- Kyo-kun…"

"Huh?" his face grew red. I looked at him, confused, until I realized what I'd let slip.

"I didn't -"

"Shh…" he hushed me, "You shouldn't be talking, I don't think. But… did you just call me 'Kyo-kun'?"

I nodded shyly.

"That's how… I think… of you," I told him, looking around at the foreign room, "But, where… what happened…"

"You had an asthma attack. How are you feeling?"

"I… my chest…"

"Do you want me to get a nurse, or…"

"No, I… Honda-san…"

"She's on her way. Haru and Shigure, too."

"I'm… sorry."

"Uh… why?"

"You didn't… you didn't get to win."

"Hey, we've still got time, right? It's not graduation yet."

I still felt bad. In more ways than one. I grimaced as the mask forced air into my lungs.

"Hatori's here, too. He's right outside. Do you want me to…"

I nodded. He stood up and left the room. When he returned, Hatori stood next to him.

"How is your breathing?"

"My chest hurts."

"That's normal," he told me, "It's the most severe attack you've had."

I was taken aback.

"But he will be okay, won't he?" Kyo-kun asked.

"Yes, although if you hadn't made it there when you did, we'd probably be informing Akito of his death right now," he said, turning to me, "You have to be more careful. Next time, stop running as soon as your breathing gets labored."

I nodded, trying not to think about how close I'd apparently come to dying. I relived the whole thing in my brain - the horrible inability to breath in, the cold sweat I'd broken into, the fear of no one being there to save me…

"You came back," I said, turning to Kyo-kun. He nodded.

"Why?"

"I was worried," he shrugged.

"Uh- thank you, I-"

"Sohma-kun!"

"H- Honda-san," I gasped as she walked in with Haru and Shigure in tow.

"Are you okay?" she burst, rushing to my side.

"Y- yeah, I'm fine," I said, smiling at her.

"How are you feeling?" Haru asked, walking up beside her.

"I feel fine," I said again.

"You had us all pretty worried," Shigure put in.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to -"

"Not like it's your fault," Kyo-kun snapped, looking at the ceiling, "Just get better."

"He should be able to attend the last day or two of school," Hatori said.

"Really?" he asked, eyeing me, "He looks too sick, you know?"

"He'll be fine," Hatori insisted, "But I should probably go and call Akito. He may want to see you, Yuki."

A loud and obnoxious beeping sound filled the room. Kyo-kun's eyes directed themselves over to something behind me. He frowned.

"Don't let Akito come," he said, "Call him, but he's not welcome here, you got that?"

"Very well," Hatori agreed, leaving the room without another word. I watched as he left, my eyes finding their way back to Kyo-kun once he was gone. Kyo-kun ran his fingers through my hair, and the loud beeping sound quieted.

"What's that noise?" I asked him, leaning into his touch.

"Your heart monitor," he smirked, "You're a lot easier to read with that thing."

I blushed, ashamed that I'd let everyone know how scared I'd gotten. Especially Honda-san. I didn't mean to burden her with that.

"Do you two want to be alone?" Shigure asked us. I saw Haru look at his feet over at the foot of my bed.

"I think Haru should stay," I said, looking at Kyo-kun pointedly, "We owe him an explanation."

He frowned, but nodded all the same. Honda-san bowed and left with Shigure in tow. Haru just stood there, staring at his feet.

"Haru… are you…"

"I'm not stupid, okay?" he said, looking up at us, "I knew about you two before you guys did. Honestly, Kyo. You were talking about some mystery crush with no gender specific words and Yuki - did you honestly think that after all the time I've known you I wouldn't be able to tell? The way you look at each other, there's nothing you need to explain to me."

I gaped at him.

"I feel satisfied with that," Kyo-kun smirked.

"But Yuki," Haru turned to me with a smirk of his own, "If he ever does anything… questionable, I could always -"

"You wanna fight, asshole?"

"Please don't," I said, grasping lightly at Kyo-kun's shirt sleeve. He looked down at me, and then he smiled. God, how I loved it when he smiled at me like that.

"Alright," he said, "At least not until you're better."

"But after that, it's war," Haru amended.

"Oh, go get laid, bi boy," Kyo-kun shot at him.

"Too late."

Kyo-kun and I both gaped at him.

"Hey, there's nothing wrong with being honest," he shrugged.

"You know you could afford to be a little LESS honest!"

I smiled as I watched them fight, allowing myself a small chuckle.

"What is it, Yuki?" Haru asked from his spot in the air where he was being suspended by his shirt collar.

"I was just thinking," I chuckled, "I couldn't have asked for a better bunch of idiots in my life."

"Wha…?" Kyo-kun looked at me like I was nuts, "Hey! I'm not an idiot!"

"Yeah, you kind of are," Haru stated.

"Hey, he called you an idiot, too!"

I laughed.

"Hey - what is it now?!"

"You're both idiots," I burst, "You're complete idiots. What's the point of fighting anyway? Over me? When you both know it won't even make a difference? What's the point?"

"We're trying to boost your self confidence," Haru said, with a straight face, no less.

"What do you mean 'it won't make a difference'?"

"Well it wouldn't," I chuckled, "Are you really that dense? If he beat you in a fight I'd just be angry at him and get you an icepack."

Kyo-kun's face turned a more vibrant color than that of his hair.

"Get a room," Haru commented.

"We'd have a room if you weren't in it!"

"So you like that sort of thing, Kyo? Kinky."

"Hey, dammit, I didn't mean it like that, you sicko!"

"So tell me, what else do you have planned for my dear little Yuki? If it gets any worse than hospital sex I'll have to hurt you."

"You were the one who said that, not me!"

"Why do you two have to talk like I'm not here?"

They both turned to see me fixing them with my personal glare of death.

"Uh, Yuki, you didn't have to -"

"Haru, I want you to keep your nose out of my sex life unless I tell you otherwise," I growled, forcing myself to hold a straight face, "And Kyo, when and if we ever do have an encounter like that, it will be to my own personal specifications, alright?"

They were both beet red. I burst out laughing.

"You should see your faces!" I burst.

"I will never understand what the hell I stick around you for," Kyo-kun commented.

"We'll see if that's what you have to say in the long run."

"Yeah," he smirked, "Prove me wrong. I dare you."

"Challenge accepted."

* * *

**Author's Note: I said I wanted 24 reviews, and I waited until I got 24 reviews. Anyway, I'm sorry if this chapter is too short an sucked some serious ass. Honestly, it's just to support he plot, the was no real point to this one. Oh, and don't worry. Kyo and Yuki will be having a nice, long, fluffy conversation about Kyo's nickname in the future. That was not what I wanted to get you all worked up over. So, as always, review. And, I won't set a limit this time, because it made my stomach sick to wait that long. Anyway, hugs, kisses, and homosexual couples to all of you.**


	14. Unnecessary Panic

**Kyo's POV:**

* * *

My leg bounced involuntarily under my desk as I stared at the clock above the door. Thirteen more minutes before I could go back to the house and see him. The doctors had made him stay one night at the hospital for observation, and they'd released him to go home at noon. And where was I? School! Tohru, too. Which meant Yuki was trapped alone in a house with Shigure! That could not be good for recovery.

Six minutes. I mean, did Shigure even HAVE a bedside manner? I imagined him laughing uselessly at the foot of the bed, reading one of his novels aloud.

_Okay, really, what's the worst that could happen?_

I started sweating. I glanced at the clock again. Three minutes. I bounced my leg some more.

"You want to make it any more obvious you're worried about him?" Uo whispered to me.

"Shut up," I said halfheartedly.

"Damn, you really are worried, huh?"

"So what?"

Two minutes.

"He's probably fine, you know."

"Yeah? He's alone in a house with Shigure. What if that idiot says something pervy and makes him start coughing and -"

"Oh, quit it. You know that's not going to happen."

One minute. I packed my notebook in my backpack and pulled it on.

"Kyo-kun?" Tohru asked on my other side. I twisted so I could see her.

"Yeah?"

"Why are you worried? He's with Shigure."

"Exactly."

"Uh…"

The bell rang.

"SEE YOU AT HOME!" I screamed, bolting from the room. I heard Uo laughing behind me as I ran down the hall. I exited the building, practically breaking the door down. Okay, fine, so I broke the door down.

I raced back to the house, not slowing the whole way there, not even feeling the fatigue that was normally present when I pushed myself that hard. Out of the corner of my eye I saw a glint of light off of water. I smiled momentarily, noting that the lake had become ours. I silently wondered if I could ever convince Yuki to go there with me and watch the sunset. I saw the house growing closer, and forced my legs to move faster, practically propelling me through the front door. Well, I did propel through the door, but honestly, it was made of paper for crying out loud. Not much to brace yourself against.

I slowed on my way up the stairs, still going at what could be considered a jog when I reached Yuki's bedroom door. I opened it quickly and gazed in at the last thing I'd expected to see. Yuki was sound asleep. I had to bite the inside of my cheek to keep from laughing.

His fists were balled up in the blanket under his chin, his nose buried adorably in the pillow. It was the most priceless and wonderful thing I'd ever seen in my life.

I sat down in the chair next to his bed, gazing at his sleeping face. I smiled lightly. In sleep the strained expression of concealed pain was replaced by an unknowing peacefulness. It reminded me of the innocence of a young child that had yet to be introduced to hardship. I frowned upon thinking about how young both of us had been when hardship was introduced into our lives.

He buried his face further into the pillow, causing his hair to fall over his eyes. I lightly brushed it aside, knowing that such a small action had no chance of waking him up. His eyes darted back and forth beneath closed lids, and I wondered to myself if he was dreaming.  
Suddenly he drew his knees up to his chest, his eyebrows knitting together in what appeared to be a forced concentration. It confirmed in my mind that he was in fact dreaming, and that it was not altogether a pleasant one. I was about to wake him myself when his eyelids flew open, revealing frightened violet eyes. As soon as he realized that it had just been a dream, his eyes calmed and he let out a breath. He looked at me timidly, as if trying to figure out of I had been able to tell he'd had a nightmare.

"Do you want to talk about it?" I asked him quietly, confirming that I had been able to tell. He shook his head into the pillow, sinking back into a calm sleepy state.

"No, it was just one of those ones where you're falling, you know?" he said quietly. I could see his emotionless mask fall into place. I hated when he did that. Couldn't anyone else tell it was fake? Was I the only one who recognized the swirling rage of emotions that he was hiding just beneath it?

"What aren't you telling me?" I asked him, frowning in open dislike of being deceived. He looked at me with a mixture of surprise and confusion, letting the mask go.

"I…"

"What?"

"He… he pushed me - off the building, he pushed me."

I didn't have to be a genius to know who 'he' was. I was bothered once again by what Yuki might have endured at the head of the family's hand.

I ran my hand comfortingly through his hair.

"Are you okay?" I asked him quietly, watching as he leaned into my hand ever so slightly.

"Mmhmm," he nodded a bit, closing his eyes. I continued to run my hand through his hair, watching as he relaxed and his breathing became steadier.

"Don't fall asleep, now," I reminded him gently.

"Mm… why not?" he muttered.

"Because I have to ask you how you're feeling and act concerned."

"What, you weren't really concerned?" he asked, opening his eyes and looking at me.

"Oh, no I was terrified," I told him seriously, "I thought Shigure was going to kill you by reading one of his books aloud."

And there it was again - that beautiful laugh that I loved so much. I loved the fact that I was the one making him laugh like that almost just as much.

"So, how are you feeling?"

He laughed again.

"I feel fine," he told me, "A little tired, but that's just from the hospital bed. It wouldn't recline all the way."

The pout that he placed on his face was simply comic. I had to laugh.

"What?" he asked me, rising an eyebrow.

"You, and your crazy sleep habits," I chuckled.

"The average teenager needs twelve hours of sleep a night," he informed me, "It's a scientifically proven fact."

"Because you qualify as an average teenager," I rolled my eyes, "With your looks I'd say fourteen hours at least."

He lightly swatted my head. I laughed, smoothing out my hair where he'd messed it up.

"So you'll be back at school tomorrow?"

"Yep, so it looks like I'll have to care about my social life for two more days," he sighed.

I laughed.

"Or you could just say 'screw it all' and scream your beautiful opinions from the rooftop," I shrugged. He rolled his eyes.

"I'd get expelled," he told me.

"And then you'd never have to worry about your social life again!"

"Well, social life aside, I still have to make up the work I missed today, and I still have the student counsel to worry about… oh, dear God."

"What?" I asked.

"The end of the year dance," he groaned, "I'm obligated as student counsel member to go."

"What's so bad about that?"

"I don't want to have to deal with girls asking me to dance with them left and right," he explained.

"Well, you could go with me."

_Idiot! Nice going. That's just about the worst way to ask him in history._

"With you?" he asked, "As in a date?"

"Well, yeah," I said, attempting to make up for my previous blunder, "I mean, I'm dating you… you're dating me… we're dating… hence, date."

He stared at me, as if trying to understand a complicated math problem.

"A date," I tried, "Where you act all awkward and hold hands and say stupid things and dance really bad."

"A date?"

"A date."

"With you?"

"With me."

"Okay."

"Okay."

"Good."

"Good."

"Fine."

"Fine."

We stared at each other seriously for a moment, and then burst out laughing.

* * *

**Author's Note: I think I heard that whole "good, good, fine, fine" thing on television, so if anyone knows what it's from, please tell me because I'm having some issues remembering. So, I think the next chapter will have to be the dance, unless you want me to walk you through their classes for the next two days (which I could do, you choose). Oh, and, I just want to see if you can do different fonts on here...**

Hello, Yoda am I.

**Nope, it didn't work. That's a shame... Oh well! So anyway, tell me what you thought, and I'm sorry for the long wait, blah, blah. But review!**


	15. First Date

**Yuki's POV:**

* * *

"Oh, come on," I groaned, untying my tie again. Of all the nights I could have trouble tying it. I tried again, looking back in the mirror. Upon seeing the result, I spectacularly invented the head/dresser.

"Yuki?" Kyo-kun's voice came from the other side of my door. He knocked lightly.

"Uh…"

"Can I come in?"

I sighed. What dignity did I have left anyway?

"Yeah, come in."  
He opened my door and slid into my room, turning around to close the door. I smiled. Of course of all people I knew he would be the one to close a door like that. He turned and faced me, walking over to where I was standing. We took a moment to take each other in. I was amazed that he had managed to tie his tie more successfully than I had, despite the fact that he never wore one. Looking him over, I couldn't help the slight coloration of my cheeks.

He'd pulled himself into a black suit, which he had left hanging open, to reveal the white button up shirt underneath, contrasted sharply by his red tie.

I allowed my eyes to wander to his face, noticing that his crimson eyes were still roaming over my body. I suddenly felt very self-conscious, hoping desperately that he thought I looked okay. I glanced down at myself, looking and the white suit and black pants, and I found myself praying he wouldn't notice the absence of a tie.

"Yuki… you look amazing."

I wondered if he was lying. I knew for a fact that I didn't look amazing. There was a mirror just to the left of him. I was sure that at any second he look over and see his own refection next to mine and wonder what on earth he had been thinking, asking me of all people to this dance.

"Yuki?" he asked when I didn't respond.

"Nothing," I smiled, "You look unbelievable."

"Oh, and do you want me to help you with that tie you're failing to hide behind you?" he added, attempting to make it sound like an afterthought. I hung my head.

"You know Yuki, you really do look wonderful," he said. I felt his fingers under my chin. He lifted my face so that I was looking into his eyes. I saw nothing but sincerity. He gently brought his lips down to mine, and I closed my eyes, allowing myself to be held against his body.

A voice echoed up the stairs, announcing Momiji's arrival, "Tohru-chan!"

We broke apart, resting our foreheads on each other and chuckling.

"Time to leave?" I asked, leaning back and looking up at him.

"You're not going anywhere without a tie," he told me, sliding the tie out of my hands and wrapping it around my neck, "Tell me if I tie it too tight."

"It's fine," I said, watching him closely as he concentrated on his task. His eyebrows drew together and he bit his lower lip slightly. Sometimes I would wonder if my face could turn red and just get stuck like that. That was one of those times.

"There."

I turned to look at my reflection, admiring the way my tie seemed to fall symmetrically down my front. No OCD person would look twice to do anything but admire.

"Thanks," I whispered, barely loud enough for him to hear me.

"Hmm," he sighed, "Come on. We'll be late."

I turned to look back at him, seeing his hand stretched out to take mine.

"And here I thought being late was cool," I smiled, taking his hand. He pulled me down the stairs and into the living room.

"Yuki! Kyo!" Momiji squealed at us, "You look so cute!"

"Damn it, Momiji!"

"Whaaaa! Kyo's hitting me!"

"Well, tonight definitely looks like it'll be interesting, huh?" Honda-san said, coming to stand next to me.

"You could say that," I smiled, "But one thing's for sure."

"Mm?"

"Both of our boyfriends are hopeless."

She laughed. I was surprised to find that I'd never felt closer to her before.

We walked there making no small amount of noise. The sun was setting as we made our way up the path to the building. I looked at the arch that the student counsel had insisted on looming closer and closer as we moved forward. I watched as three girls ahead of us posed for a picture under it before moving on.

"How about we all take a group picture?" Honda-san suggested, "That way we can all pitch in and get it printed."

"Okay," I readily agreed, knowing full well who would be taking the picture.

"Yun-Yun!" Makoto greeted me happily, "So who gets to be the bane of the school?"

Kyo-kun proudly threw his arm around my shoulders, pulling me against him.

"I think I can handle the fangirls."

Makoto just laughed, surprising me more than anyone else.

"I'll just pretend I didn't see that one coming," he smirked, "So do you guys want to take a group or couple pictures?"

"Group," I informed him.

"Awesome," he said, "You sure as hell better put this in a scrapbook."

"Sure," I rolled my eyes. Kyo-kun wrapped his arm around my waist, pulling me closer to him. I blushed lightly at the publicity of the display. I saw Kyo-kun shoot a smirk at the camera, and the flash went off as Makoto took the picture. He looked at the picture, smiling.

"Beautiful," he said, "You know, Yun-Yun, I think photography is my calling."

"Yesterday you thought origami was your calling."

"Well, I changed my mind."

"Of course," I sighed, rolling my eyes and pushing past him.

"So what's the deal with him?" Kyo-kun asked me. I didn't miss a beat.

"He's a born idiot with good intentions that you _really_ don't have to worry about," I laughed.

"Good to know," he smirked, pushing the double doors to the gym open.

I was assaulted by extremely loud music the instant the sound barrier on the door broke.

"Woah."

The gym was blacked out, the only lighting available the turbulent pulsing of the strobe lights. I scanned the crowd of dancing teenagers, most of them completely oblivious to anything but enjoying themselves. I smiled.

"Definitely one of your better ideas," Kyo-kun told me, having to raise his voice to be heard over the loud pulsating music. I turned to see him smiling down at me, nodding ever so slightly to the music.

_Glad you like it._

"Yun-Yun!"

I looked up to see Kimi dashing towards us, her face flushed from dancing.

"Hello," I said.

"Kimi was wondering when you would be here! You should come dance with me!"

"Sorry, but he's taken," Kyo-kun said, throwing his arm around me. I looked up to see him smiling lightly at her, and I sighed a little in relief. At least he managed to put logic to his jealous moments.

"Oh!" she said, "Kimi thinks this is very cute!"

It was the last reaction I had expected. I think that was the one moment of my life when Kimi didn't seem obnoxious to me.

"Hey, I'm gonna go get a drink," Kyo-kun said, "You want anything?"

"Water," I said.

"Sure," he agreed, walking away.

"Sohma-kun!"

"Uh, Minami-san?"

"Yep!" she said excitedly, "So did you bring a date?"

"Heh," I put my hand on the back of my neck, "Yes, actually, I did."

"Oh, really?" she asked, "Who? Where is she?"

"Uh, 'he', actually," I said embarrassedly, "It's actually Kyo."

A look of dawning flashed across her face.

"Hmm. Well, I guess that's okay."

"Of course it is!" Kimi said, reassuring us of her presence, "It's very, very cute!"

"Huh. Yeah, I guess it is," Minami-san said, I smile finding her face again. She bowed slightly and ran off into the crowd again. Kimi and I talked about Kyo-kun for a little while, until we were interrupted again.

"Yuki?"

"Uh- Minagawa-senpai!"

"So is it true?" she asked, getting straight to the point, "Are you dating Kyo?"

I looked down at her for a moment, but I decided to be blunt.

"Yes. For a while now."

"I see," she said, looking at the floor. I looked around awkwardly, spotting Naohito-kun watching us closely. I looked back at Minagawa-senpai with new determination.

"You know, Senpai, just because something ends doesn't have to mean it's sad."

She looked up at me, wide-eyed.

"Even though something is over, it doesn't have to be empty. If you choose to - if you're strong enough - you change a 'goodbye' into a 'hello'. Because, when you let something go, it makes room for something new. So, if a path doesn't lead you to exactly where you thought it would, there's always a new path open to you. I think you're strong enough to walk down that new path, Senpai."

"Yuki…"

"And, I know it's a little forward of me, but maybe I could point you in a better direction," I said slowly.

"What do you… of course!" she agreed readily. I couldn't help but smile at what I was about to do. I turned her around by her shoulders and faced her towards Naohito-kun, pushing her forward and into his arms.

"Ah, Sohma -"

"I hope this means you don't hate me anymore!" I laughed. He looked down at Minagawa-senpai and then back up at me.

"I'll get back to you on that."

I smiled widely at them. They'd make a cute couple, if they worked out. Only time would tell.

"I miss something?"

I turned around to see Kyo-kun holding out a water bottle out to me.

"Not really," I said, "Just me giving some royally good advice."

"Really?" he asked, tilting his head.

"Something I wish someone would've told me at some point," I said, being sure to remain adequately cryptic. Kyo-kun merely smirked, leaning down to whisper in my ear.

"I'll let that side, for now."

I felt my face heat up at record speed. He'd never said anything like that before. Just be sure he wasn't intoxicated, I glanced down to assure myself that his own beverage was nothing more than a simple soda.

"Have you been reading Shigure's novels?" I asked him.

"That's low."

"Have you?"

"Maybe just a little."

I rolled my eyes, going to sit on the bleachers. Kyo-kun followed me, sitting to my right.

"I'll be honest, I sort of expected to be disappointed by tonight," I told him, looking at the crowd of dancing and smiling people.

"Hey, the night's still young," Kyo-kun reminded me. I chuckled.

"Really," I said, "School dances are almost always nothing but drama about other people. I didn't expect in a million years that it would go this well."

"Well, you didn't have a million years to contemplate the possible outcomes, so that's not surprising."

"When did your vocabulary get so big?"

He shoved me lightly.

"I guess you're right though," he sighed, "I sort of expected to get attacked by angry girls."

"I did too," I looked around, "But most of them… seem almost happy about it."

Some slow song I didn't know started.

"That's how it looks," he sighed, "But I've still got plenty of opportunities to make your life a living hell."

"But I really am happy," I sighed, taking a long drink of water, "I don't spend a whole lot of time happy, and it's nice."

"That's all I can ask for," Kyo-kun said, standing up and holding out his hand to me, "Well, that, and for you to dance with me."

I stared up at him. Before I even thought about it, I put down my water and took his hand. We made our way to the dance floor, and Kyo-kun took me into his arms. I lay my head on his chest contentedly as we rocked back and forth gently.

_Stay with me_  
_Don't fall asleep too soon_  
_The angels can wait for a moment_  
_Come real close_  
_Forget the world outside_  
_Tonight we're alone_  
_It's finally you and I_

"Yuki?"

"What?"

"We have to go back to the main house tomorrow for new years," he reminded me sadly.

"Kyo-ku- Kyo, don't ruin the moment," I said, barely catching my mistake. He smiled.

"You can call me Kyo-kun if you want to, you know," he said gently, "I don't mind."

"You don't?"

"Not at all," he assured me, "Actually, I think it's kind of cute."

_It wasn't meant to feel like this_  
_Not without you_  
_Cause when I look at my life_  
_How the pieces fall into place_  
_It just wouldn't rhyme without you_  
_When I see how my path _  
_Seemed to end up before your face_  
_The state of my heart_  
_The place where we are_  
_Was written in the stars_

Kyo-kun and I looked at each other in surprise at the words. We both found ourselves smiling brilliantly at the irony.

"I think people have been reading the stars wrong," I said lightly.

"Clearly," he smiled, leaning down and placing a light kiss on my lips.

"Fate may or may not be real," I said carefully, "But our fates weren't determined by some distant legend. We are people. Not animals. I know that, because if fate exists, then mine is to be right here. It's the only way this could feel so perfect."

Kyo-kun pulled me against him tightly. I'd known he'd love to hear that, he needed to hear that.

_Kyo-kun? A monster? Never._

"Thank you," he murmured into my ear.

_No. More like an angel._

* * *

**Author's Note: And it all goes downhill from here. I know, spoilers, but I thought I should give you fair warning. Remember how I said all the fluff was to make up for what I'm going to do to them in the future? Well, the future is here. Sorry about taking forever to update, school isn't exactly giving me a lot of free time. But, I wrote all day today to make you this long chapter to make up for it. I hope you'll forgive me. Oh, and just because I gave you a long chapter because i was feeling guilty, don't get used to it. Oh, and Happy Early Halloween! I'm the first one in my neighborhood with decorations up! I always am, though, because I start decorating on the first of October (my parents won't let me start any sooner than that). I'll see if I can come up with a oneshot in honor of the holiday. Please suggest a pairing you'd like me to do it for! Yaoi or yuri, of course. When I try to write het, one of the characters always ends up being majorly OOC. Anyway, review, and suggest a pairing for my Halloween fic!**


	16. Impending Doom

**Kyo's POV:**

* * *

Tohru, Yuki, and I all collapsed on the couch upon arriving home. God, what time was it? I assured myself that I didn't want to know.

"So tired…" Yuki mumbled into the arm of the couch.

"Agreed," I nodded, closing my eyes and leaning back.

"Kyo-kun, Sohma-kun, don't fall asleep on the couch," Tohru reminded us sleepily.

"Mm," I grumbled, forcing myself to stand up, "C'mon, Yuki."

Yuki looked up at me sadly, as if leaving his spot on the couch was the equivalent of the death of a close friend. I pulled him up, but there was no way in hell I was carrying him. I might as well have, though - he leaned on me the whole way up the stairs. When we got to where we would be parting ways, Yuki pulled on my sleeve, reminding me of someone much younger.

"What?" I asked him, a little bit more alert.

"I don't want to go. The main house tomorrow - I don't want to go."

He looked small and helpless from where I stood.

"We can't skip another year, Yuki," I told him gently, "It's better to just get it over with."

"But I'm scared."

I knew he must've been extremely tired to admit that. I blame my own exhaustion for what I did next.

"Do you want to stay with me tonight?" I offered. I nodded.

I nodded again, turning into his own room. I wondered if he would actually show up, or if he'd simply been too tired to understand a word that was said. I shrugged, assuming it could go either way, and walked into my own room. The first thing I did was take off my tie and unbutton my shirt. I heaved a sigh of relief. I don't know how Yuki could put up with being that restricted all the time. I shrugged off my jacket and folded it neatly, putting it on top of my dresser. I did the same with the rest of my formal clothes. I looked out the window, noting that it was snowing again. I wondered if it would stick. I pulled a pair of warm pajamas out of my dresser and pulled them on. It struck my mind that Yuki had never seen me in pajamas before. I hoped he didn't have some weird fantasy that I slept naked, especially in the middle of winter.

I ran a comb through my hair a few times, even though I knew it wouldn't count for anything in the morning. With that, I sat on my bed, deciding I'd wait a few minutes for Yuki in case he came. For some reason, every time I glanced at my clock and thought 'one more minute', I ended up making some mental excuse to give Yuki more time.

Just as I was about to push the deadline forward again, a light knock came on my door.

"Come in," I said, jumping slightly in surprise. He slid the door open a crack and squeezed through it, turning and closing the door. I was relieved to see he had very similar pajamas. He turned around, yawning.

"Tired?" I asked him.

"Mm," he nodded, rubbing his eyes. I smiled, patting the spot on the bed next to me. He walked over and fell onto the pillow. I smiled, standing up and walking around to the other side of the bed. I pulled the cover out from under him, pulling it over both of us, and I lay my head down next to his. He rolled over and buried his face in my chest, sighing contentedly as he relaxed against me. I was surprised, not at his actions particularly, but by how natural it felt to be with him like that. I smiled down at the top of his head, and let myself relax as well, wrapping my arm around him. I fell into a deep, dreamless sleep, which I was sure I'd need for any trails that might come the following day.

* * *

I woke up on my back, feeling Yuki curled up beside me with his head on my chest, clutching lightly at the fabric of my shirt. I looked down at him, knowing full well that he was still sound asleep. His shirt had come unbuttoned during the night and was hanging off his shoulder. I pulled the cover up over him to keep him from getting cold. I looked at my clock. four minutes to ten. Outside my window, filtered light broke through the cloudy sky and into my bedroom. That was all I could see from my position.

Three minutes to ten. I glanced down at Yuki, knowing I'd have to wake him up. I hoped silently that New Years wouldn't be as bad as I thought it would be. The storm clouds outside my window seemed to inform me of just how likely that was.

I sighed, running my fingers through Yuki's hair, gently calling him back to the real world. He stirred, and his grip on my shirt became tighter.

"Yuki?"

He turned so he could look up at me, his tired violet eyes letting me know that his mind had indeed caught up to his body. If the stress I saw there was anything to go by, that is.

"What time is it?" he asked me.

"Almost ten."

He buried his head in my chest again, clearly stating that he did not want to get up.

"We have to, Yuki," I reminded him gently. He looked up at me, gazing into my eyes.

"Fine," he sighed, "It doesn't mean I have to like it."

He sat up groggily, stretching his shoulders and buttoning his shirt.

"At least we get the morning," I pointed out. He sighed, standing up and going over to the mirror.

"I should take a shower," he commented.

"Considering our family is actually weird enough to sniff you," I joked, trying to lighten the mood. I knew things were drastic when Yuki needed as little convincing as he had to get out of bed.

"Hmm."

I barely got a grin out of him.

"Hey -"

"I'm gonna go get ready, okay?" he said.

"Uh, yeah, sure."

He smiled at me before walking out of my room. I knew him too well. I'd learned a while before that Yuki always closed his eyes when he smiled and meant it. His eyes had been wide open.

I sighed heavily, throwing my arms over my head and swinging them with momentum to sit up. I'd taken a shower before the dance the night before, so I didn't think taking another was necessary. Brushed my hair and got dressed, figuring I'd save washing my face and brushing my teeth until after Yuki was finished in the shower.

About a half an hour later, we were saying goodbye to Tohru and walking out the door. Yuki grabbed my hand and held it in his as we walked. We would sometimes purposefully bump into each other, to reassure that we had each other. On occasion we would actually stop and just hold each other, knowing we wouldn't be able to even talk to each other normally once we were inside. All we really achieved was slowing the walk down, but Shigure didn't say anything.

When we reached to gates, I pulled Yuki into a kiss, trying so hard to push everything I felt for him into it. We pulled apart, and separated onto either side of Shigure. He nodded at each of us in turn, and pushed the gates open. Standing inside were Hatori, Momiji, and Hatsuharu. I was only minutely surprised when Hatori approached me.

"Kyo, please come with me."

I nodded, knowing I wasn't in trouble. It was regular procedure to take me to a private room. It had happened almost exactly like that the one and only time I'd been to the New Years celebration before. Needless to say, I wasn't horribly intent on going back. I was painfully tempted to look back at Yuki as I walked away behind Hatori, but I forced myself not to. I knew anyone could be watching. Even Akito. I shivered a little at that thought. I brushed it aside and followed Hatori through the hallways and into a small side room that had already been set up with a comfortable sitting area and tea.

I sighed as I sat down next to the kotatsu, not bothering to put my feet under it. I sipped at the tea, noticing that Hatori hadn't left.

"Won't Akito want to see you?" I asked him, trying to sound like I didn't care. Honestly, I wouldn't hate the company if he stayed, but it wasn't worth getting him in trouble with the dearest head of the family.

"No," he said, sitting down himself, getting comfortable, "It would appear that Akito isn't exactly happy with me right now. I've been asked not to attend to the banquet."

"Not like they could have a party without you," I joked, knowing I was visibly relieved.

"Of course not, I'm half of the experience," he smiled, buying into the friendly conversation.

_Well, Hatori has a sense of humor. Who knew?_

We spent the whole day in that room, gladly accepting the refreshments the maids brought us at obviously set intervals. I silently wondered what it would be like to be served on every day of my life, but I quickly dismissed the idea. I honestly preferred doing things for myself. I also got way too fidgety. The minute I thought of something to do I wanted to get up and do it, but I knew that probably wasn't a good idea. Especially sense I didn't really know my way around. That was just the second time I'd been to the main house, or maybe third. I had a vague memory of coming here as a child. I watched out the window as the sun set. It was the last sunset of the current year. The next time it rose, it would be welcoming the new one.

Hatori looked over at me and said, "I think the banquet will be ending about now."

I nodded absently.

"Would you mind going to find Akito for me?" he asked me, "I really should check on him. His condition hasn't been ideal lately. I'd get him myself but I need to set up my equipment."

_Yeah, I would definitely mind that._

"Yeah, that's fine."

I probably would've paid a lot more attention to the sunset if I'd known where I would be the next time it rose.

* * *

**Author's Note: Well, I'm going to apologize in advance for the next chapter. I honestly didn't know that this was where the story was going to go when I started it. I had an idea, but I didn't really know for sure. That's why I made it rated "M" from the beginning, just to be safe. Well, that and the fact that I knew I'd be putting a lemon in at some point. There will be individual chapter warnings at the beginning of the next chapter, and I'm sorry that I didn't put them in the original summary. I am so sorry if this ruins the story for some of you. But, I'm warning you here, and I'll warn you at the beginning of the next chapter as well. All flames will be printed out and used in a truth or dare game. Seriously. Somebody might have to stick your flame up their ass. But anyway, I hope you enjoyed this chapter, however meaningless it turned out. Please tell me what you thought! Thank you so much if you are still reading this. I am so happy that there are people out there who like my writing.**


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